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BOTH  SID! 
BORDER. 


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BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER 


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1® 


IT    WAS    WITH    THE    GREATEST    DIFFICULTY    THAT    HE    GUARDED 
HIS    HEAD. 


BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER 


&  Eale  of  hotspur  anti  ffilentiofoer 


BY 

G.  A.  HENTY 

Author  of  "A  March  on  London,"  "  Beric  the  Briton,"  "  Held  Fast  for  England," 
"Wolf  the  Saxon,"  "  A  Jacobite  Exile,"  &c,  &c 


WITH  TWELVE  ILLUSTRA  TIONS  BY  RALPH  PEACOCK 


NEW    YORK 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 
1903 


Copyright,  1898,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


PREFACE 

The  four  opening  years  of  the  fifteenth  century  were  among 
the  most  stirring  in  the  history  of  England.  Owen  Glen- 
dower  carried  fire  and  slaughter  among  the  Welsh  marches, 
captured  most  of  the  strong  places  held  by  the  English,  and 
foiled  three  invasions  led  by  the  king  himself.  The  northern 
borders  were  invaded  by  Douglas,  who,  after  devastating  a 
large  portion  of  Northumberland,  Cumberland,  and  Durham, 
was  defeated  and  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Homildon 
by  the  Earl  of  Northumberland  and  his  son  Hotspur.  Then 
followed  the  strange  and  unnatural  coalition  between  the 
Percys,  Douglas  of  Scotland,  Glendower  of  Wales,  and  Sir 
Edmund  Mortimer  —  a  coalition  that  would  assuredly  have 
overthrown  the  king,  erected  the  young  Earl  of  March  as 
a  puppet  monarch  under  the  tutelage  of  the  Percys,  and 
secured  the  independence  of  Wales,  had  the  royal  forces 
arrived  one  day  later  at  Shrewsbury,  and  so  allowed  the 
confederate  armies  to  unite.  King  Henry's  victory  there, 
entailing  the  death  of  Hotspur  and  the  capture  of  Douglas, 
put  an  end  to  this  formidable  insurrection ;  for  although  the 
Earl  of  Northumberland  twice  subsequently  raised  the  banner 
of  revolt,  these  risings  were  easily  crushed ;  while  Glendower's 
power  waned,  and  order,  never  to  be  again  broken,  was  at 
length  restored  in  Wales.  The  continual  state  of  unrest  and 
chronic  warfare  between  the  inhabitants  of  both  sides  of  the 
border  was  full  of  adventures  as  stirring  and  romantic  as  that 
in  which  the  hero  of  the  story  took  part. 

G.  A.  HENTY. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/bothsidesofbordeOOhent 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I.  A  Bordei;  Hold 

II.  Across  the  Border 

III.  At  Alnwick    . 

IV.  An  Unequal  Jojst 
V.  A  Mission 

VI.  At  Dunbar 

VII.  Back  to  Hotspur  . 

VIII.  Ludlow  Castle 

IX.  The  Welsh  Rising 

X.  A  Breach  of  Duty 

XI.  Bad  News 

XII.  A  Dangerous  Mission 

XIII.  Escape      . 

XIV.  In  Hiding 
XV.  Another  Mission  to  Ludlow 

XVI.  A  Letter  for  the  King 

XVII.  Knighted 

XVIII.  Glendower 

XIX.  The  Battle  of  Homildon  Hill 

XX.  The  Percys'  Discontent 

XXI.  Shrewsbury    . 


PAGE 
I 

18 
36 
52 
68 

87 
105 
123 

138 
157 
177 
194 
212 
231 
251 
26S 
287 
306 
324 
341 
360 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  he  guarded 

hishead Frontispiece 

",This  is  the  nephew  of  Alwyn  Forster"    ....  42 

They  journeyed  pleasantly  along 82 

"Who  is  going  to  teach  me?" 106 

Oswald  threw  his  arms  round  two  of  them      .        .        .  14S 

To  Oswald's  astonishment  two  young  women   stood  be- 
fore him 172 

Armstrong  took  his  place  by  his  son's  pallet  .        .        .  200 

"Let  the  rope  pass  gradually  through  your  hands"      .  226 

"  i  am  well  pleased  with  you,  oswald*"       ....  262 

"now,  i  think  we  shall  do,  roger " 290 

"how  glad  i  am  to  have  an   opportunity  of  thanking 

YOU  " 322 

"DO   NOT  SPEAK  OF  SUCH  A  THING,   I   PRAY  YOU,   MASTER"       .  372 


BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER 


CHAPTER   I 


A    BORDER    HOLD 


LAD  was  standing  on  the  little  look-out  turret  on 
the  top  of  a  border  fortalice.  The  place  was 
evidently  built  solely  with  an  eye  to  defence, 
comfort  being  an  altogether  secondary  consid- 
eration. It  was  a  square  building  of  rough  stone,  the  walls 
broken  only  by  narrow  loopholes,  and  the  door,  which  was 
ten  feet  above  the  ground,  was  reached  by  broad  wooden 
steps,  which  could  be  hauled  up  in  case  of  necessity,  and  were 
in  fact  raised  every  night.  The  building  was  some  forty  feet 
square.  The  upper  floor  was  divided  into  several  chambers, 
which  were  the  sleeping-places  of  its  lord  and  master,  his 
family,  and  the  women  of  the  household. 

The  floor  below,  on  to  which  the  door  from  without  opened, 
was  undivided  save  by  two  rows  of  stone  pillars  that  supported 
the  beams  of  the  floor  above.  In  one  corner  the  floor,  some 
fifteen  feet  square,  was  raised  somewhat  above  the  general 
level :  this  was  set  aside  for  the  use  of  the  master  and  the 
family  ;  the  rest  of  the  apartment  was  used  as  the  living  and 


2  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

sleeping  room  of  the  followers  and  hinds  of  the  fortalice. 
The  basement  —  which,  although  on  a  level  with  the  ground 
outside,  could  be  approached  only  by  a  trap-door  and  ladder 
from  the  room  above  —  was  the  store-room,  and  contained 
sacks  of  barley  and  oatmeal,  sides  of  bacon,  firewood,  sacks 
of  beans,  and  trusses  of  hay  for  the  use  of  the  horses  and 
cattle  should  the  place  have  to  stand  a  short  siege.  In  the 
centre  was  a  well. 

The  roof  of  the  house  was  flat,  and  paved  with  square  blocks 
of  stone ;  a  parapet  three  feet  high  surrounded  it.  In  the 
centre  was  the  look-out  tower  rising  twelve  feet  above  it,  and 
over  the  door  another  turret,  projecting  some  eighteen  inches 
beyond  the  wall  of  the  house,  slits  being  cut  in  the  stone  floor 
through  which  missiles  could  be  dropped  or  boiling  lead  poured 
upon  any  trying  to  assault  the  entrance.  Outside  was  a  court- 
yard extending  round  the  house ;  it  was  some  ten  yards  across, 
and  surrounded  by  a  wall  twelve  feet  high,  with  a  square 
turret  at  each  corner.  Everything  was  roughly  constructed, 
although  massive  and  solid.  With  the  exception  of  the  door, 
and  the  steps  leading  to  it,  no  wood  had  been  used  in  the 
construction ;  the  very  beams  were  of  rough  stone ;  the  floors 
were  of  the  same  material.  It  was  clearly  the  object  of  the 
builders  to  erect  a  fortress  that  could  defy  fire,  and  could  only 
be  destroyed  at  the  cost  of  enormous  labour. 

This  was  indeed  a  prime  necessity,  for  the  hold  stood  in  the 
wild  country  between  the  upper  waters  of  the  Coquet  and  the 
Reed  River.  Harbottle  and  Longpikes  rose  but  a  few  miles 
away,  and  the  whole  country  was  broken  up  by  deep  ravines 
and  valleys,  fells  and  crags.  From  the  edge  of  the  moorland, 
a  hundred  yards  from  the  outer  wall,  the  ground  dropped 
sharply  down  into  the  valley,  where  the  two  villages  of  Yard- 
hope  lay  on  a  little  burn  running  into  the  Coquet.  In  other 
directions  the  moor  extended  for  a  distance  of  nearly  a  mile. 


A    BORDER    HOLD  o 

On  this  two  or  three  score  of  cattle  and  a  dozen  shaggy  little 
horses  were  engaged  in  an  effort  to  keep  life  together  upon 
the  rough  herbage  that  grew  among  the  heather  and  blocks 
of  stones  scattered  everywhere. 

Presently  the  lad  caught  sight  of  the  flash  of  the  sun,  which 
had  but  just  risen  behind  him,  on  a  spear-head  at  the  western 
edge  of  the  moor.  He  ran  down  at  once  from  his  post  to  the 
principal  room. 

"They  are  coming,  mother,"  he  exclaimed;  "  I  have  just 
seen  the  sun  glint  on  a  spear-head." 

"  I  trust  that  they  are  all  there,"  she  said,  and  then  turned 
to  two  women  by  the  fire  and  bade  them  put  on  more  wood 
and  get  the  pots  boiling. 

"  Go  up  again,  Oswald,  and  as  soon  as  you  can  make  out 
your  father's  figure  bring  me  down  news.  I  have  not  closed 
an  eye  for  the  last  two  nights,  for  't  is  a  more  dangerous  enter- 
prise than  usual  on  which  they  have  gone." 

"  Father  always  comes  home  all  right,  mother,"  the  boy 
said  confidently,  "  and  they  have  a  strong  band  this  time. 
They  were  to  have  been  joined  by  Thomas  Gray  and  his 
following,  and  Forster  of  Currick,  and  John  Liddel,  and  Percy 
Hope  of  Bilderton.  They  must  have  full  sixty  spears.  The 
Bairds  are  like  to  pay  heavily  for  their  last  raid  hither." 

Dame  Forster  did  not  reply,  and  Oswald  ran  up  again  to  the 
look-out.  By  this  time  the  party  for  whom  he  was  watching 
had  reached  the  moor.  It  consisted  of  twelve  or  fourteen 
horsemen  all  clad  in  dark  armour,  carrying  very  long  spears 
and  mounted  on  small  but  wiry  horses.  They  were  driving 
before  them  a  knot  of  some  forty  or  fifty  cattle,  and  three  of 
them  led  horses  carrying  heavy  burdens.  Oswald's  quick  eye 
noticed  that  four  of  the  horsemen  were  not  carrying  their 
spears. 

"  They  are  three  short  of  their  number,"  he  said  to  himself, 


4  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  and  those  four  must  all  be  sorely  wounded.  Well,  it  might 
have  been  worse."  Oswald  had  been  brought  up  to  regard 
forays  and  attacks  as  ordinary  incidents  of  life.  Watch  and 
ward  were  always  kept  in  the  little  fortalice,  especially  when 
the  nights  were  dark  and  misty,  for  there  was  never  any  say- 
ing when  a  party  of  Scottish  borderers  might  make  an  attack, 
for  the  truces  so  often  concluded  between  the  border  wardens 
had  but  slight  effect  on  the  prickers,  as  the  small  chieftains  on 
both  sides  were  called,  who  maintained  a  constant  state  of 
warfare  against  each  other. 

The  Scotch  forays  were  more  frequent  than  those  from  the 
English  side  of  the  border,  not  because  the  people  were  more 
warlike,  but  because  they  were  poorer  and  depended  more 
entirely  upon  plunder  for  their  subsistence.  There  was  but 
little  difference  of  race  between  the  peoples  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  border ;  both  were  largely  of  mixed  Danish  and 
Anglo-Saxon  blood,  for  when  William  the  Conqueror  carried 
fire  and  sword  through  Northumbria,  great  numbers  of  the 
inhabitants  moved  north  and  settled  in  the  district  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  Norman  arms.  On  the  English  side  of  the 
border  the  population  were  in  time  leavened  by  Norman  blood, 
as  the  estates  were  granted  by  William  to  his  barons.  These 
often  married  the  heiresses  of  the  dispossessed  families,  while 
their  followers  found  wives  among  the  native  population. 

The  frequent  wars  with  the  Scots,  in  which  every  man 
capable  of  bearing  arms  in  the  Northern  Counties  had  to  take 
part,  and  the  incessant  border  warfare  maintained  a  most 
martial  spirit  among  the  population,  who  considered  retalia- 
tion for  injuries  received  to  be  a  natural  and  lawful  act.  This 
was  to  some  extent  heightened  by  the  fact  that  the  terms  of 
many  of  the  truces  specifically  permitted  those  who  had 
suffered  losses  on  either  side  to  pursue  their  plunderers  across 
the  border.     These  raids  were  not  accompanied  by  bloodshed 


A   EORDER   HOLD  O 

except  when  resistance  was  made,  for  between  the  people, 
descended  as  they  were  from  a  common  stock,  there  was  no 
active  animosity,  and  at  ordinary  times  there  was  free  and 
friendly  intercourse  between  them.  There  were,  however, 
many  exceptions  to  the  rule  that  unresisting  persons  were  not 
injured. 

Between  many  families  on  opposite  sides  of  the  border  there 
existed  blood  feuds,  arising  from  the  fact  that  members  of 
one  or  the  other  had  been  killed  in  forays,  and  in  these  cases 
bitter  and  bloody  reprisals  were  made  on  either  side.  The 
very  border  line  was  ill  defined,  and  people  on  one  side  fre- 
quently settled  on  the  other,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  sev- 
eral of  the  treaties  contained  provisions  that  those  who  had 
so  moved  might  change  their  nationality  and  be  accounted  as 
Scotch  or  Englishmen  as  the  case  might  be.  Between  the 
Forsters  and  the  Bairds  such  a  feud  had  existed  for  three 
generations.  It  had  begun  in  a  raid  by  the  latter ;  the  Fors- 
ter  of  that  time  had  repulsed  the  attack,  and  had  with  his  own 
hand  killed  one  of  the  Bairds ;  six  months  later  he  was  sur- 
prised and  killed  on  his  own  hearth-stone,  at  a  time  when  his 
son  and  most  of  his  retainers  were  away  on  a  raid. 

From  that  time  the  animosity  between  the  two  families  had 
been  unceasing,  and  several  lives  had  been  lost  on  both  sides. 
The  Bairds  with  a  large  party  had,  three  months  before,  carried 
fire  and  sword  through  the  district  bordering  on  the  main 
road  as  far  as  Elsdon  on  the  east,  and  Alwinton  on  the  north. 
News  of  their  coming  had,  however,  preceded  them ;  the 
villagers  of  Yardhope  had  just  time  to  take  refuge  at  Forster's 
hold,  and  had  repulsed  the  determined  attacks  made  upon  it, 
until  Sir  Robert  Umfraville  brought  a  strong  party  to  their 
assistance  and  drove  the  Bairds  back  towards  the  frontier. 
The  present  raid  from  which  the  party  was  returning  had 
been  organised  partly  to   recoup  those  who   took  part  in  it 


6  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

for  the  loss  of  their  cattle  on  that  occasion,  and  partly  to 
take  vengeance  upon  the  Bairds. 

As  was  the  custom  on  both  sides  of  the  border,  these  expe- 
ditions were  generally  composed  of  members  of  half  a  dozen 
families  with  their  followers,  the  one  who  was  at  once  most 
energetic  and  best  acquainted  with  the  intricacies  of  the 
country,  and  the  paths  across  fells  and  moors,  being  chosen 
as  leader. 

Presently  Oswald  Forster  saw  one  of  the  party  wave  his 
hand,  and  at  his  order  four  or  five  of  the  horsemen  rode  out 
and  began  to  drive  the  scattered  cattle  and  horses  towards 
the  house.     Oswald  at  once  ran  down. 

"Father  is  all  right,  mother;  he  has  just  given  orders  to 
the  men,  and  they  are  driving  all  the  animals  in,  so  I  suppose 
that  the  Bairds  must  be  in  pursuit.  I  had  better  tell  the  men 
to  get  on  their  armour?  " 

Without  waiting  for  an  answer  he  told  six  men  who  were 
eating  their  breakfast  at  the  farther  end  of  the  room  to  make 
an  end  of  their  meal,  and  get  on  their  steel  caps  and  breast 
and  back  pieces,  and  take  their  places  in  the  turret  over  the 
gate  into  the  yard.  In  a  few  minutes  the  animals  began  to 
pour  in,  first  those  of  the  homestead,  then  the  captured  herd, 
weary  and  exhausted  with  their  long  and  hurried  journey; 
then  came  the  master  with  his  followers.  Mary  Forster  and 
her  son  stood  at  the  top  of  the  steps  ready  to  greet  him. 
The  gate  into  the  yard  was  on  the  opposite  side  to  that  of 
the  doonvay  of  the  fortalice,  in  order  that  assailants  who  had 
carried  it  should  have  to  pass  round  under  the  fire  of  the 
archers  in  the  turrets  before  they  could  attack  the  building 
itself.  She  gave  a  little  cry  as  her  husband  came  up.  His 
left  arm  was  in  a  sling,  his  helmet  was  cleft  through,  and  a 
bandage  showed  beneath  it. 

"Do  not  be  afraid,  wife,"  he  said  cheerily.     "We  have  had 


A   BORDER   HOLD  7 

hotter  work  than  we  expected,  but,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned, 
there  is  no  great  harm  done.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  we  have 
lost  Long  Hal,  and  Rob  Finch,  and  Smedley.  Two  or  three 
others  are  sorely  wounded,  and  I  fancy  few  have  got  off  alto- 
gether scathless.  All  went  well  until  we  stopped  to  wait  for 
daybreak  three  miles  from  Allan  Baird's  place.  Some  shep- 
herd must  have  got  sight  of  us  as  we  halted,  for  we  found  him 
and  his  men  up  and  ready.  They  had  not  had  time,  how- 
ever, to  drive  in  the  cattle ;  and  seeing  that  we  should  like 
enough  have  the  Bairds  swarming  down  upon  us  before  we 
could  take  Allan's  place,  we  contented  ourselves  with  gather- 
ing the  cattle  and  driving  them  off.  There  were  about  two 
hundred  of  them. 

"  We  went  fast,  but  in  two  hours  we  saw  the  Bairds  coming 
in  pursuit ;  and  as  it  was  clear  that  they  would  overtake  us, 
hampered  as  we  were  with  the  cattle,  we  stood  and  made 
defence.  There  was  not  much  difference  in  numbers,  for  the 
Bairds  had  not  had  time  to  gather  in  all  their  strength.  The 
fight  was  a  stiff  one.  On  our  side  Percy  Hope  was  killed,  and 
John  Liddel  so  sorely  wounded  that  there  is  no  hope  of  his 
life.  We  had  sixteen  men  killed  outright,  and  few  of  us  but 
are  more  or  less  scarred.  On  their  side  Allan  Baird  was  killed 
and  John  was  smitten  down,  but  how  sorely  wounded  I  cannot 
say  for  certain,  for  they  put  him  on  a  horse  and  took  him 
away  at  once.  They  left  twenty  behind  them  on  the  ground 
dead ;  and  the  rest,  finding  that  we  were  better  men  than 
they,   rode  off  again. 

"  William  Baird  himself  had  not  come  up ;  his  hold  was  too 
far  for  the  news  to  have  reached  him,  as  we  knew  well  enough, 
but  doubtless  he  came  up  with  his  following  a  few  hours  after 
we  had  beaten  his  kinsmen.  But  we  have  ridden  too  fast  for 
him  to  overtake  us.  We  struck  off  north  as  soon  as  we 
crossed  the  border,  travelled  all  night  by  paths  by  which  they 


8  LOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

will  find  it  difficult  to  follow  or  track  us,  especially  as  we  broke 
up  into  four  parties,  and  each  chose  their  own  way.  I  have 
driven  all  our  cattle  in,  in  case  they  should  make  straight  here 
after  losing  our  track.  Of  course  there  were  many  who  fought 
against  us  who  know  us  all  well ;  but  even  were  it  other  than 
the  Bairds  we  had  despoiled,  they  would  hardly  follow  us  so 
far  across  the  border  to  fetch  their  cattle.  As  for  the  Bairds, 
the  most  notorious  of  the  Scottish  raiders,  for  them  to  claim 
the  right  of  following  would  be  beyond  all  bearing.  Why,  I 
don't  believe  there  was  a  head  of  cattle  among  the  whole  herd 
that  had  not  been  born  and  bred  on  this  side  of  the  border. 
It  is  we  who  have  been  fetching  back  stolen  goods." 

By  this  time  he  and  his  men  had  entered  the  house,  and 
those  who  had  gone  through  the  fray  scathless  were,  assisted 
by  the  women,  removing  the  armour  from  their  wounded  com- 
rades. Those  who  had  been  forced  to  relinquish  their  spears 
were  first  attended  to.  There  was  no  thought  of  sending  for 
a  leech.  Every  man  and  woman  within  fifty  miles  of  the 
border  was  accustomed  to  the  treatment  of  wounds,  and  in 
every  hold  was  a  store  of  bandages,  styptics,  and  unguents 
ready  for  instant  use.  Most  of  the  men  were  very  sorely 
wounded,  and  had  they  been  of  less  hardy  frame  and  less 
inured  to  hardships  could  not  have  supported  the  long  ride. 
John  Forster,  before  taking  off  his  own  armour,  saw  that 
their  wounds  were  first  attended  to  by  his  wife  and  her 
women. 

"  I  think  they  will  all  do,"  he  said,  "  and  that  they  will  live 
to  strike  another  blow  at  the  Bairds  yet.  Now,  Oswald,  un- 
buckle my  harness.  Your  mother  will  bandage  up  my  arm 
and  head,  and  Elspeth  shall  bring  up  a  full  tankard  from  be- 
low for  each  of  us.  A  draught  of  beer  will  do  as  much  good 
as  all  the  salves  and  medicaments.  Do  you  take  the  first 
drink,  Jock  Samlen,  and  then  go  up  to  the  watch-tower.     I 


A    BORDER    HOLD  9 

see  the  men  have  been  posted  in  the  wall- turrets.  One  of 
them  shall  relieve  you  shortly." 

As  soon  as  the  wounds  were  dressed,  bowls  of  porridge 
were  served  round,  then  one  of  the  men  who  had  remained 
at  home  was  posted  at  the  look-out,  and  after  the  cattle  had 
been  seen  to,  all  who  had  been  on  the  road  stretched  them- 
selves on  some  rushes  at  one  end  of  the  room,  and  were 
in  a  few  minutes  sound  asleep. 

"  I  wonder  whether  we  shall  ever  have  peace  in  the  land, 
Oswald,"  his  mother  said  with  a  sigh,  as,  having  seen  that  the 
women  had  all  in  readiness  for  the  preparation  of  the  midday 
meal,  she  sat  down  on  a  low  stool  by  his  side. 

"  I  don't  see  how  we  ever  can  have,  mother,  until  either  we 
conquer  Scotland,  or  the  Scotch  shall  be  our  masters.  It  is 
not  our  fault ;  they  are  ever  raiding  and  plundering,  and  heed 
not  the  orders  of  Douglas  or  the  other  Lords  of  the  Marches." 

"  We  are  almost  as  bad  as  they  are,  Oswald." 

"  Nay,  mother,  we  do  but  try  to  take  back  our  own ;  as 
father  well  said,  the  cattle  that  were  brought  in  are  all  English 
that  have  been  taken  from  us  by  the  Bairds,  and  we  do  but 
pay  them  back  in  their  own  coin.  It  makes  but  little  differ- 
ence whether  we  are  at  war  or  peace,  these  reiving  caterans 
are  ever  on  the  move.  It  was  but  last  week  that  Adam  Gor- 
don and  his  bands  wasted  Tynedale  as  far  as  Bellingham,  and 
carried  off,  they  say,  two  thousand  head  of  cattle,  and  slew 
many  of  the  people.  If  we  did  not  cross  the  border  some- 
times and  give  them  a  lesson,  they  would  become  so  bold  that 
there  would  be  no  limit  to  their  raids." 

"  That  is  all  true  enough,  Oswald ;  but  it  is  hard  that  we 
should  always  require  to  be  on  the  watch,  and  that  no  one 
within  forty  miles  of  the  border  can  at  any  time  go  to  sleep 
with  the  surety  that  he  will  not  ere  morning  hear  the  raiders 
knocking  at  his  gate." 


10  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  Methinks  that  it  would  be  dull  were  there  nought  to  do 
but  to  look  after  the  cattle,"  Oswald  replied.  It  seemed  to 
him,  bred  up  as  he  had  been  amid  constant  forays  and  excite- 
ments, that  the  state  of  things  was  a  normal  one,  and  that 
it  was  natural  that  a  man  should  need  to  have  his  spear  ever 
ready  at  hand,  and  to  give  or  take  hard  blows.  "  Besides," 
he  went  on,  "  though  we  carry  off  each  other's  cattle  and  fetch 
them  home  again,  we  are  not  bad  friends  while  the  truces 
hold,  save  in  the  case  of  those  who  have  blood  feuds.  It  was 
but  last  week  that  Allan  Armstrong  and  his  two  sisters  were 
staying  here  with  us,  and  I  promised  that  ere  long  I  would 
ride  across  the  border  and  spend  a  week  with  them." 

"  Yes,  but  that  makes  it  all  the  worse.  Adam  Armstrong 
married  my  sister  Elizabeth,  whom  he  first  met  at  Goddington 
fair,  and  indeed  there  are  few  families  on  either  side  of  the 
border  who  have  not  both  English  and  Scotch  blood  in  their 
veins.  It  is  natural  we  should  be  friends,  seeing  how  often 
we  have  held  Berwick,  Roxburgh,  and  Dumfries,  and  how 
often  in  times  of  peace  Scotchmen  come  across  the  border  to 
trade  at  the  fairs.  Why  should  it  not  be  so  when  we  speak 
the  same  tongue,  and,  save  for  the  border  line,  are  one  people  ? 
Though  indeed  it  is  different  in  Kirkcudbright  and  Wigtown, 
where  they  are  Galwegians,  and  their  tongue  is  scarce  under- 
stood by  the  border  Scots.  Tis  strange  that  those  on  one 
side  of  the  border  and  those  on  the  other  cannot  keep  the 
peace  towards  each  other." 

"  But  save  when  the  kingdoms  are  at  war,  mother,  we  do 
keep  the  peace,  except  in  the  matter  of  cattle-lifting,  and  bear 
no  enmity  towards  each  other  save  when  blood  is  shed.  In 
war-time  each  must,  of  course,  fight  for  his  nation  and  as  his 
lord  orders  him.  We  have  wasted  Scotland  again  and  again 
from  end  to  end,  and  they  have  swept  the  Northern  Counties 
well-nigh  as  often.     I  have  heard  father  say  that  eight  times 


A   BORDER    HOLD  11 

in  the  last  hundred  years  this  hold  has  been  levelled  to  the 
ground.  It  only  escaped  last  time  because  he  built  it  so 
strongly  of  stone  that  they  could  not  fire  it,  and  it  would  have 
taken  them  almost  as  long  to  pick  it  to  pieces  as  it  took  him 
to  build  it." 

"  Yes,  that  was  when  you  were  an  infant,  Oswald.  When 
we  heard  the  Scotch  army  was  marching  this  way,  we  took 
refuge  with  all  the  cattle  and  horses  among  the  Pikes,  having 
first  carried  out  and  burnt  all  the  forage  and  stores,  and  leav- 
ing nothing  that  they  could  set  fire  to.  Your  father  has  often 
laughed  at  the  thought  of  how  angry  they  must  have  been  when 
they  found  that  there  was  no  mischief  that  they  could  do,  for, 
short  of  a  long  stay,  which  they  never  make,  there  was  no 
way  in  which  they  could  damage  it.  Ours  was  the  only  house 
that  escaped  scot-free  for  thirty  miles  round  ;  but  indeed  't  is 
generally  but  parties  of  pillagers  who  trouble  this  part  of  the 
country  even  when  they  invade  England.  There  is  richer 
booty  by  far  to  be  gathered  in  Cumberland  and  Durham,  for 
here  we  have  nought  but  our  cattle  and  horses,  and  of  these 
they  have  as  many  on  their  side  of  the  border.  It  is  the 
plunder  of  the  towns  that  chiefly  attracts  them,  and  while 
they  go  past  here  empty-handed,  they  always  carry  great 
trains  of  booty  on  their  backward  way." 

"Still  it  would  be  dull  work  if  there  were  no  fighting, 
mother." 

"  There  is  no  fighting  in  Southern  England,  Oswald,  save 
for  those  who  go  across  the  sea  to  fight  the  French,  and  yet 
I  suppose  they  find  life  less  dull  than  we  do.  They  have 
more  to  do.  Here  there  is  little  tillage,  the  country  is  poor ; 
and  who  would  care  to  break  up  the  land  and  to  raise  crops 
when  any  night  your  ricks  might  be  in  flames,  and  your  grana- 
ries plundered?  Thus  there  is  nought  for  us  to  do  b.'*t  to 
keep  cattle,  which    need    but    little   care  and   attention.   *m* 


12  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

which  can  be  driven  off  to  the  fells  when  the  Scots  make  a 
great  raid  ;  but  in  the  south,  as  I  have  heard,  there  is  always 
much  for  farmers  to  attend  to,  and  those  who  find  life  dull 
can  always  enter  the  service  of  some  warlike  lord  and  follow 
him  across  the  sea." 

Oswald  shook  his  head.  The  quiet  pursuits  of  a  farmer 
seemed  to  him  to  be  but  a  poor  substitute  for  the  excitement 
of  border  war.  "  It  may  be  as  you  say,  mother,  but  for  my 
part  I  would  rather  enter  the  service  of  the  Percys,  and  gain 
honour  under  their  banner,  than  remain  here  day  after  day 
merely  giving  aid  in  driving  the  cattle  in  and  out,  and  won- 
dering when  the  Bairds  are  coming  this  way  again." 

His  mother  shook  her  head.  Her  father  and  two  brothers 
had  both  been  slain  the  last  time  a  Scottish  army  had  crossed 
the  border ;  and  although  she  naturally  did  not  regard  constant 
troubles  in  the  same  light  in  which  a  southern  woman  would 
have  viewed  them,  she  still  longed  for  peace  and  quiet,  and 
was  in  constant  fear  that  sooner  or  later  the  feud  with  the 
Bairds,  who  were  a  powerful  family,  would  cost  her  husband 
his  life.  Against  open  force  she  had  little  fear.  The  hold 
could  resist  an  attack  for  days,  and  long  ere  it  yielded,  help 
would  arrive ;  but  although  the  watch  was  vigilant,  and  every 
precaution  taken,  it  might  be  captured  by  a  sudden  night 
attack.  William  Baird  had,  she  knew,  sworn  a  great  oath 
that  Yardhope  Hold  should  one  day  be  destroyed,  and  the 
Forsters  wiped  out  root  and  branch.  And  the  death  of  his 
cousin  Allan  in  the  last  raid  would  surely  fan  the  fire  of  his 
hatred  against  them. 

"  One  never  can  say  what  may  happen,"  she  said  after  a 
pause ;  "  but  if  at  any  time  evil  should  befall  us,  and  you 
escape,  remember  that  your  uncle  Alwyn  is  in  Percy's  ser- 
vice, and  you  cannot  do  better  than  go  to  him  and  place 
yourself  under  his  protection,  and  act  as  he  may  advise  you. 


A   BORDER   HOLD  13 

I  like  not  the  thought  that  you  should  become  a  man-at-arms  ; 
and  yet  methinks  that  it  is  no  more  dangerous  than  that  of  a 
householder  on  the  fells.  At  least,  in  a  strong  castle  a  man 
can  sleep  without  fear,  whereas  none  can  say  as  much  here." 

"  If  aught  should  happen  to  my  father  and  you,  mother,  you 
may  be  sure  that  I  should  share  in  it ;  the  Bairds  would  spare 
no  one  if  they  captured  the  hold.  And  although  father  will 
not  as  yet  take  me  with  him  on  his  forays,  I  should  do  my 
share  of  fighting  if  the  hold  were  attacked." 

"  I  am  sure  that  you  would,  Oswald ;  and  were  it  captured 
I  have  no  doubt  that,  as  you  say,  you  would  share  our  fate. 
I  speak  not  with  any  thought  that  it  is  likely  things  will  turn 
out  as  I  say ;  but  they  may  do  so,  and  therefore  I  give  you  my 
advice  to  seek  out  your  uncle.  As  to  a  capture  of  our  hold, 
of  that  I  have  generally  but  little  fear ;  but  the  fact  that  your 
father  has  been  wounded  and  three  of  his  men  killed,  and  that 
another  Baird  has  fallen,  has  brought  the  possibility  that  it 
may  happen  more  closely  to  my  mind  this  morning  than  usual. 
Now,  my  boy,  you  had  best  spend  an  hour  in  cleaning  up  your 
father's  armour  and  arms.  The  steel  cap  must  go  to  the  ar- 
mourer at  Alwinton  for  repair,  but  you  can  get  some  of  the 
dints  out  of  his  breast  and  back  pieces,  and  can  give  them 
a  fresh  coat  of  black  paint ; "  for  the  borderers  usually 
darkened  their  armour,  so  that  in  their  raids  their  presence 
should  not  be  betrayed  by  the  glint  of  sun  or  moon  upon 
them. 

Oswald  at  once  took  up  the  armour  and  went  down  the  steps 
into  the  courtyard,  so  that  the  sound  of  his  hammer  should 
not  disturb  the  sleepers.  As  with  slight  but  often-repeated 
blows  he  got  out  the  dints  that  had  been  made  in  the  fray,  he 
thought  over  what  his  mother  had  been  saying.  To  him  also 
the  death  of  three  of  the  men,  who  had  for  years  been  his 
companions,  came  as  a  shock.     It  was  seldom,  indeed,  that  the 


14  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

forays  for  cattle-lifting  had  such  serious  consequences.  As  a 
rule  they  were  altogether  bloodless,  and  it  was  only  because  of 
the  long  feud  with  the  Bairds,  and  the  fact  that  some  warning 
of  the  coming  of  the  party  harl,  in  spite  of  their  precaution, 
reached  Allan  Baird,  that  on  the  present  occasion  such  serious 
results  had  ensued. 

Had  it  not  been  for  this,  the  cattle  would  have  been  driven 
off  without  resistance,  for  Allan  Baird's  own  household  would 
not  have  ventured  to  attack  so  strong  a  party.  No  attempt 
would  have  been  made  to  assault  his  hold,  for  he  had  often 
heard  his  father  say  that  even  in  the  case  of  a  blood  feud  he 
held  that  houses  should  not  be  attacked  and  their  occupants 
slain.  If  both  parties  met  under  arms,  the  matter  was  different ; 
but  that,  in  spite  of  the  slaying  of  his  own  father  by  them,  he 
would  not  kill  even  a  Baird  on  his  hearth-stone.  Still,  a  Baird 
had  been  killed,  and  assuredly  William  Baird  would  not  be 
deterred  by  any  similar  scruples.  His  pitiless  ferocity  was 
notorious,  and  even  his  own  countrymen  cried  out  against 
some  of  his  deeds,  and  the  Earl  of  Douglas  had  several  times 
threatened  to  hand  him  over  to  the  English  authorities ;  but 
the  Bairds  were  powerful,  and  could,  with  their  allies,  place 
four  or  five  hundred  men  in  the  field,  and  in  the  difficult  coun- 
try in  which  they  lived  could  have  given  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
even  to  Douglas.  Therefore  nothing  had  come  of  his  threats, 
and  the  Bairds  had  continued  to  be  the  terror  of  that  part  of 
the  English  border  that  was  the  most  convenient  for  their 
operations. 

Oswald  was  now  past  sixteen,  and  promised  to  be  as  big 
a  man  as  his  father,  who  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  hardy 
Northumbrian  race,  —  tall,  strong,  and  sinewy.  He  had  felt 
hurt  when  his  father  had  refused  to  allow  him  to  take  part  in 
the  foray. 

"  Time  enough,  lad,  time  enough,"  he  had  said  when  the  lad 


A    BORDER   HOLD  15 

had  made  his  petition  to  do  so.  "  You  are  not  strong  enough 
yet  to  hold  your  own  against  one  of  the  Bairds'  moss-troopers, 
should  it  come  to  fighting.  In  another  couple  of  years  it  will 
be  time  enough  to  think  of  your  going  on  such  an  excursion 
as  this.  You  are  clever  with  your  arms,  I  will  freely  admit, 
as  you  ought  to  be,  seeing  that  you  practise  for  two  hours  a 
day  with  the  men.  But  strength  counts  as  well  as  skill,  and 
you  want  both  when  you  ride  against  the  Bairds ;  besides,  at 
present  you  have  still  much  to  learn  about  the  paths  through 
the  fells  and  across  the  morasses.  If  you  are  ever  to  become 
a  leader,  you  must  know  them  well  enough  to  traverse  them 
on  the  darkest  night,  or  through  the  thickest  mist." 
"  I  think  that  I  do  know  most  of  them,  father." 
"  Yes,  I  think  you  do,  on  this  side  of  the  border ;  but  you 
must  learn  those  on  the  other  side  as  well.  They  are,  indeed, 
of  even  greater  importance,  in  case  of  pursuit  or  for  crossing 
the  border  unobserved.  Hitherto  I  have  forbidden  you  to 
cross  the  line,  but  in  future  Mat  Wilson  shall  go  with  you.  He 
knows  the  Scotch  passes  and  defiles  better  than  any  in  the 
band,  and  so  that  you  don't  go  near  the  Bairds'  country  you 
can  traverse  them  safely  so  long  as  the  truce  lasts." 

For  years  indeed,  Oswald,  on  one  of  the  hardy  little  horses, 
had  ridden  over  the  country  in  company  with  one  or  other  of 
the  men,  and  had  become  familiar  with  every  morass,  moor, 
fell,  and  pass,  down  to  the  old  Roman  wall  to  the  south,  and 
as  far  north  as  Wooler,  being  frequently  absent  for  three  or 
four  days  at  a  time.  He  had  several  times  ridden  into  Scot- 
land to  visit  the  Armstrongs  and  other  friends  of  the  family, 
but  he  had  always  travelled  by  the  roads,  and  knew  nothing  of 
the  hill  paths  on  that  side.  His  life  had,  in  fact,  been  far 
from  dull,  for  they  had  many  friends  and  connections  in  the 
villages  at  the  foot  of  the  Cheviots,  and  he  was  frequently 
away  from  home. 


16  EOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

His  journeys  were  generally  performed  on  horseback,  but 
his  father  encouraged  him  to  take  long  tramps  on  foot,  in 
order  that  he  might  strengthen  his  muscles,  and  would  not 
unfrequently  give  him  leave  to  pay  visits  on  condition  that  he 
travelled  on  foot  instead  of  in  the  saddle.  Constant  exercise 
in  climbing,  riding,  and  with  his  weapons,  and  at  wrestling 
and  other  sports,  including  the  bow,  had  hardened  every 
muscle  of  his  frame,  and  he  was  capable  of  standing  any 
fatigues ;  and  although  his  father  said  that  he  could  not  hold 
his  own  a*gainst  men,  he  knew  that  the  lad  could  do  so  against 
any  but  exceptionally  powerful  ones,  and  believed  that  when 
the  time  came  he  would,  like  himself,  be  frequently  chosen  as 
leader  in  border  forays.  He  could  already  draw  the  strongest 
bow  to  the  arrow-head,  and  send  a  shaft  with  a  strength  that 
would  suffice  to  pierce  the  light  armour  worn  by  the  Scotch 
borderers. 

It  was  by  the  bow  that  the  English  gained  the  majority  of 
their  victories  over  their  northern  neighbours,  who  did  not 
take  to  the  weapon,  and  were  unable  to  stand  for  a  moment 
against  the  English  archers,  who  not  only  loved  it  as  a  sport, 
but  were  compelled  by  many  ordinances  to  practise  with  it 
from  their  childhood.  Of  other  education  he  had  none,  but 
in  this  respect  he  was  no  worse  off  than  the  majority  of  the 
knights  and  barons  of  the  time,  who  were  well  content  to  trust 
to  monkish  scribes  to  draw  up  such  documents  as  were  re- 
quired and  to  affix  their  seal  to  them.  He  himself  had  once, 
some  six  years  before,  expressed  a  wish  to  be  sent  for  a  year 
to  the  care  of  the  monks  at  Rothbury,  whose  superior  was  a 
distant  connection  of  his  father,  in  order  to  be  taught  to  read 
and  write,  but  John  Forster  had  scoffed  at  the  idea. 

"  You  have  to  learn  to  be  a  man,  lad,"  he  had  said,  "  and 
the  monks  will  never  teach  you  that.  I  do  not  know  one  letter 
from  another,  nor  did  my  father,  or  any  of  my  forebears,  and 


A    BORDER    HOLD  17 

we  were  no  worse  for  it.  On  the  marches,  unless  a  man  means 
to  become  a  monk  he  has  to  learn  to  make  his  sword  guard  his 
head,  to  send  an  arrow  straight  to  the  mark,  to  know  every 
foot  of  the  passes,  and  to  be  prepared  at  the  order  of  his  lord 
to  defend  his  country  against  the  Scots.  These  are  vastly  more 
important  matters  than  reading  and  writing,  which  are,  so  far 
as  I  can  see,  of  no  use  to  any  fair  man,  whose  word  is  his  bond, 
and  who  deals  with  honest  men.  I  can  reckon  up,  if  I  sell  so 
many  cattle,  how  much  has  to  be  paid,  and  more  of  learning 
than  that  I  want  not,  nor  do  you,  and  every  hour  spent  on  it 
would  be  as  good  as  wasted.  As  to  the  monks,  Heaven  forfend 
that  you  should  ever  become  one.  They  are  good  men,  I 
doubt  not,  and  I  suppose  that  it  is  necessary  that  some  should 
take  to  it ;  but  that  a  man  who  has  the  full  possession  of  his 
limbs  should  mew  himself  up  for  life  between  four  walls,  passing 
his  time  in  vigils  and  saying  masses,  in  reading  books  and  dis- 
tributing alms,  seems  to  me  to  be  a  sort  of  madness." 

"  I  certainly  do  not  wish  to  become  a  monk,  father ;  but  I 
thought  that  I  should  like  to  learn  to  read  and  write." 

"And  when  you  have  learnt  it,  what  then,  Oswald?  Books 
are  expensive  playthings,  and  no  scrap  of  writing  has  ever 
been  inside  the  walls  of  Yardhope  Hold  since  it  was  first  built 
here,  as  far  as  I  know.  As  to  writing,  it  would  be  of  still  less 
use.  If  a  man  has  a  message  to  send,  he  can  send  it  by  a  hired 
man,  if  it  suits  him  not  to  ride  himself.  Besides,  if  he  had 
written  it,  the  person  he  sent  it  to  would  not  be  able  to  read 
it,  and  would  have  to  go  to  some  scribe  for  an  interpretation 
of  its  contents.  No,  no,  my  lad,  you  have  plenty  to  learn 
before  you  come  to  be  a  man,  without  bothering  your  head 
with  this  monkish  stuff.  I  doubt  if  Hotspur  himself  can  do 
more  than  sign  his  name  to  a  parchment,  and  what  is  good 
enough  for  the  Percys  is  surely  good  enough  for  you." 

The  idea   had   in  fact  been  put  into  Oswald's  head  by  his 


18  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

mother.  At  that  time  the  feud  with  the  Bairds  had  burned 
very  hotly,  and  it  would  have  lessened  her  anxieties  had  the 
boy  been  bestowed  for  a  time  in  a  convent.  Oswald  himself 
felt  no  disappointment  at  his  father's  refusal  to  a  petition  that 
he  would  never  have  made  had  not  his  mother  dilated  to  him 
on  several  occasions  upon  the  great  advantage  of  learning.  No 
thought  of  repeating  the  request  had  ever  entered  his  mind. 
His  father  had  thought  more  of  it,  and  had  several  times 
expressed  grave  regret  to  his  wife  over  such  an  extraordinary 
wish  having  occurred  to  their  son. 

"The  boy  has  nothing  of  a  milk-sop  about  him,"  he  said, 
"  and  is  for  his  age  full  of  spirit  and  courage.  How  so  strange 
an  idea  could  have  occurred  to  him  is  more  than  I  can 
imagine.  I  should  as  soon  expect  to  see  an  owlet  in  a 
sparrow-hawk's  nest  as  a  monk  hatched  in  Yardhope  Hold." 

His  wife  discreetly  kept  silence  as  to  the  fact  that  she  her- 
self had  first  put  the  idea  in  the  boy's  head,  for  although  Mary 
Forster  was  mistress  inside  of  the  hold,  in  all  other  matters 
John  was  masterful  and  would  brook  no  meddling  even  by  her. 
The  subject,  therefore,  of  Oswald's  learning  to  read  and  write 
was  never  renewed. 


CHAPTER   II 

ACROSS   THE    BORDER 

A  MOST  vigilant  watch  was  kept  up  for  the  next  week  at 
Yardhope  Hold.  At  night  three  or  four  of  the  troopers 
were  posted  four  or  five  miles  from  the  hold,  on  the  roads  by 
which  an  enemy  was  likely  to  come,  having  under  them  the 
fleetest  horses  on  the  moor.  When  a  week  passed  there  was 
some  slight  relaxation  in  the  watch,  for  it  was  evident  that  the 


ACROSS   THE    BORDER  19 

Bairds  intended  to  bide  their  time  for  a  stroke,  knowing  well 
that  they  would  not  be  likely  to  be  able  to  effect  a  surprise  at 
present.  The  outlying  posts  were  therefore  no  longer  main- 
tained, but  the  dogs  of  the  hold,  fully  a  dozen  in  number,  were 
chained  nightly  in  a  circle  three  or  four  hundred  yards  outside 
it,  and  their  barking  would  at  once  apprise  the  watchers  in  the 
turrets  on  the  walls  of  the  approach  of  any  body  of  armed 
men. 

Two  days  later  Oswald  started  for  his  promised  visit  to  the 
Armstrongs.  It  was  not  considered  necessary  that  he  should 
be  accompanied  by  any  of  the  troopers,  for  Hinultie  lay  but  a 
few  miles  across  the  frontier.  In  high  spirits  he  galloped 
away,  and  riding  through  Yardhope  was  soon  at  Alwinton,  and 
thence  took  the  track  through  Kidland  Lee,  passed  round  the 
head  of  the  Usmay  brook,  along  the  foot  of  Maiden  Cross 
Hill,  and  crossed  the  frontier  at  Windy  Guile.  Here  he 
stood  on  the  crest  of  the  Cheviots,  and  descending  passed 
along  at  the  foot  of  Windburgh  Hill,  and  by  noon  entered 
the  tiny  hamlet  of  Hinultie,  above  which,  perched  on  one  of 
the  spurs  of  the  hill,  stood  the  Armstrongs'  hold.  It  was 
smaller  than  that  of  Yardhope  and  had  no  surrounding  wall, 
but,  like  it,  was  built  for  defence  against  a  sudden  attack. 

Adam  Armstrong  was  on  good  terms  with  his  neighbours 
across  the  border.  Although  other  members  of  his  family 
were  frequently  engaged  in  forays,  it  was  seldom  indeed  that 
he  buckled  on  armour,  and  only  when  there  was  a  general  call 
to  arms.  He  was,  however,  on  bad  terms  with  the  Bairds, 
partly  because  his  wife  was  a  sister  of  Forster's,  partly  because 
of  frays  that  had  arisen  between  his  herdsmen  and  those  of 
the  Bairds,  for  his  cattle  wandered  far  and  wide  on  the  moun- 
tain slopes  to  the  south,  and  sometimes  passed  the  ill-defined 
line,  beyond  which  the  Bairds  regarded  the  country  as  their 
own.     Jedburgh  was  but  ten  miles  away,  Hawick  but  six  or 


20  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

seven,  and  any  stay  after  the  sun  rose  would  speedily  have 
brought  strong  bodies  of  men  from  these  towns,  as  well  as 
from  his  still  nearer  neighbours,  at  Chester,  Abbotrule,  and 
Hobkirk. 

Oswald's  approach  was  seen,  and  two  of  his  cousins — Allan, 
who  was  a  lad  of  about  the  same  age,  and  Janet,  a  year 
younger  —  ran  out  from  the  house  to  meet  him. 

"We  have  been  expecting  you  for  the  last  ten  days,"  the 
former  exclaimed,  "  and  had  well-nigh  given  you  up." 

"I  hold  you  to  be  a  laggard,"  the  girl  added,  "and  unless 
you  can  duly  excuse  yourself  shall  have  nought  to  say  to  you." 

"  My  excuse  is  a  good  one,  Janet.  My  father  made  a  foray 
a  fortnight  since  into  the  Bands'  country,  to  rescue  some  of 
the  cattle  they  had  driven  off  from  our  neighbours  some  days 
before.  There  was  a  sharp  fight,  and  Allan  Baird  was  killed, 
and  since  then  we  have  been  expecting  a  return  visit  from 
them,  and  have  been  sleeping  with  our  arms  beside  us. 
Doubtless  they  will  come  some  day,  but  as  it  is  evident  they 
don't  mean  to  come  at  present,  my  father  let  me  leave." 

"In  that  case  we  must  forgive  you,"  the  girl  said.  "Some 
rumours  of  the  fray  have  reached  us,  and  my  father  shook  his 
head  gravely  when  he  heard  that  another  Baird  had  been 
killed  by  the  Forsters." 

"  It  was  not  only  us,"  Oswald  replied.  "  There  were  some 
of  the  Liddels,  and  the  Hopes,  and  other  families,  engaged. 
My  father  was  chosen  as  chief;  but  this  time  it  was  not  our 
quarrel  but  theirs,  for  we  had  lost  no  cattle,  and  my  father 
only  joined  because  they  had  aided  us  last  time,  and  he  could 
not  hold  back  now.  Of  course  he  was  chosen  as  chief  be- 
cause he  knows  the  country  so  well." 

"  Well,  come  in,  Oswald.  It  is  poor  hospitality  to  keep  you 
talking  here  outside  the  door." 

A   boy  had   already  taken  charge   of  Oswald's  horse,  and 


ACROSS   THE    BORDER  21 

after  unstrapping  his  valise  had  led  it  to  a  stable  that  formed 
the  basement  of  the  house. 

"Well,  laddie,  how  fares  it  with  you  at  home?"  Adam 
Armstrong  said  heartily  as  they  mounted  the  steps  to  the 
main  entrance.  "  We  have  heard  of  your  wild  doings  with 
the  Bairds.  'T  is  a  pity  that  these  feuds  should  go  on  from 
father  to  son,  ever  getting  more  and  more  bitter.  But  there, 
we  can  no  more  change  a  borderer's  nature  than  you  can 
stop  the  tide  in  the  Solway.  I  hear  that  it  was  well-nigh  a 
pitched  battle." 

"  There  was  hard  fighting,"  Oswald  replied.  "Three  of  our 
troopers  and  eight  or  ten  of  the  others  were  killed.  My 
father  was  twice  wounded,  one  of  the  Hopes  was  killed,  and  a 
Liddel  severely  wounded.  But,  from  what  they  say,  the  Bairds 
suffered  more.  Had  they  not  done  so  there  would  have  been 
a  hot  pursuit,  but  as  far  as  we  know  there  was  none." 

"  The  Bairds  will  bide  their  time,"  Armstrong  said  gravely. 
"They  are  dour  men,  and  will  take  their  turn  though  they 
wait  ten  years  for  it." 

"  At  any  rate,  they  won't  catch  us  sleeping,  uncle,  and  come 
they  however  strong  they  may,  they  will  find  it  hard  work  to 
capture  the  hold." 

"  Ay,  ay,  lad,  but  I  don't  think  they  will  try  to  knock  their 
heads  against  your  wall.  They  are  more  like  to  sweep  down 
on  a  sudden,  and  your  watchman  will  need  keen  eyes  to  make 
them  out  before  they  are  thundering  at  the  gate  or  climbing 
up  the  wall.  However,  your  father  knows  his  danger,  and  it 
is  of  no  use  talking  more  of  it.     What  is  done,  is  done." 

"  And  how  is  your  mother,  Oswald?"  Mistress  Armstrong 
asked. 

"  She  is  well,  aunt,  and  bade  me  give  her  love  to  you." 

"Truly  I  wonder  she  keeps  her  health  with  all  these  troubles 
and  anxieties.     We  had  hoped   that,    after   the  meeting  last 


22  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

March  of  the  Commissioners  on  both  sides,  when  the  Lords 
of  the  Marches  plighted  their  faith  to  each  other  and  agreed 
to  surrender  all  prisoners  without  ransom  and  to  forgive  all 
offenders,  we  should  have  had  peace  on  the  border.  As  you 
know,  there  were  but  three  exceptions  named ;  namely,  Adam 
Warden,  William  Baird,  and  Adam  French,  whom  the  Scotch 
Commissioners  bound  themselves  to  arrest  and  to  hand  over 
to  the  English  Commissioners,  to  be  tried  as  being  notorious 
truce-breakers,  doing  infinite  mischief  to  the  dwellers  on  the 
English  side  of  the  border.  And  yet  nothing  has  come  of  it, 
and  these  men  still  continue  to  make  their  raids  without  check 
or  hindrance  either  by  the  Earl  of  March  or  Douglas." 

"  There  are  faults  on  both  sides,  wife,"  her  husband  said. 

"  I  do  not  deny  it,  gudeman ;  but  I  have  often  heard  you 
say  these  three  men  are  the  pests  of  the  border,  and  that  were 
it  not  for  them  things  might  go  on  reasonably  enough,  for  no 
one  counts  a  few  head  of  cattle  lifted  now  and  again.  It  is 
bad  enough  that  every  two  or  three  years  armies  should  march 
across  the  border,  one  way  or  the  other,  but  surely  we  might 
live  peaceably  between  times.  Did  not  I  nearly  lose  you  at 
Otterburn,  and  had  you  laid  up  on  my  hands  for  well-nigh  six 
months?  " 

"  Ay,  that  was  a  sore  day  for  both  sides." 

"Will  you  tell  me  about  it,  uncle?  "  Oswald  asked.  "My 
father  cares  not  much  to  talk  of  it ;  and  though  I  know 
that  he  fought  there,  he  has  never  told  me  the  story  of  the 
battle." 

"  We  are  just  going  to  sit  down  to  dinner  now,"  Adam  Arm- 
strong said,  "  and  the  story  is  a  long  one  ;  but  after  we  have 
done  I  will  tell  you  of  it.  Your  father  need  not  feel  so  sore 
about  it,  for  since  the  days  of  the  Bruce  you  have  had  as  many 
victories  to  count  as  we  have." 

After  dinner,  however,  Armstrong  had  to  settle   a  dispute 


ACROSS   THE   BORDER  23 

between  two  of  his  tenants  as  to  grazing  rights,  and  it  was 
not  until  evening  that  he  told  his  story. 

"In  1388  there  were  all  sorts  of  troubles  in  England,  and 
France  naturally  took  advantage  of  them  and  recommenced 
hostilities,  and  we  prepared  to  share  in  the  game.  Word  was 
sent  round  privately,  and  every  man  was  bidden  to  gather  in 
Jedburgh  forest.  I  tell  you,  lad,  I  went  with  a  heavy  heart, 
for  although  men  of  our  name  have  the  reputation  of  being 
as  quarrelsome  fellows  as  any  that  dwell  on  the  border,  I  am 
an  exception,  and  love  peace  and  quiet ;  moreover,  the  children 
were  but  young,  and  I  saw  that  the  fight  would  be  a  heavy 
business,  and  I  did  not  like  leaving  them  and  their  mother. 
However,  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  we  gathered  there  over 
40,000  strong.  The  main  body  marched  away  into  Cumber- 
land, but  Douglas,  March,  and  Moray,  with  300  spears  and 
2,000  footmen,  including  many  an  Armstrong,  entered  North- 
umberland. 

"  We  marched  without  turning  to  the  right  or  left,  or  staying 
to  attack  town,  castle,  or  house,  till  we  crossed  the  river  Tyne 
and  entered  Durham.  Then  we  began  the  war,  burning, 
ravaging,  and  slaying.  I  liked  it  not,  for  although  when  it 
comes  to  fighting  I  am  ready  if  needs  be  to  bear  my  part,  I 
care  not  to  attack  peaceful  people.  It  is  true  that  your  kings 
have  over  and  over  again  laid  waste  half  Scotland,  killing, 
slaying,  and  hanging ;  but  it  does  not  seem  to  me  any  satis- 
faction, because  some  twenty  of  my  ancestors  have  been 
murdered,  to  slay  twenty  people  who  were  not  born  until  long 
afterwards,  and  whose  forebears  for  aught  I  know  may  have 
had  no  hand  in  the  slaughter  of  mine.  However,  having 
laden  ourselves  with  plunder  from  Durham,  we  sat  down  for 
three  days  before  Newcastle,  where  we  had  some  sharp  skir- 
mishes with  Sir  Henry  and  his  brother  Sir  Ralph  Percy,  and 
in  one  of  these  captured  Sir  Henry's  pennant. 


24  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"Then  we  marched  away  to  Otterburn,  after  receiving 
warning  from  Percy  that  he  intended  to  win  his  pennant  back 
again  before  we  left  Northumberland.  We  attacked  Otterburn 
Castle,  but  failed  to  carry  it,  for  it  was  strong  and  well  de- 
fended. There  was  a  council  that  night,  and  most  of  the 
leaders  were  in  favour  of  retiring  at  once  to  Scotland  with  the 
abundance  of  spoil  that  we  had  gained.  But  Douglas  per- 
suaded them  to  remain  two  or  three  days  and  to  capture  the 
castle,  and  not  to  go  off  as  if  afraid  of  Percy's  threats.  So  we 
waited  all  the  next  day,  and  at  night  the  Percys  with  600 
spears  and  8,000  infantry  came  up.  Our  leaders  had  not  been 
idle,  for  they  had  examined  the  ground  carefully,  and  arranged 
how  the  battle  should  be  fought  if  we  were  attacked. 

"  Having  heard  nothing  of  the  English  all  day,  we  lay  down 
to  sleep,  not  expecting  to  hear  aught  of  them  until  the  morning. 
It  was  a  moonlight  night,  and,  being  in  August,  there  was 
but  a  short  darkness  between  the  twilights,  and  the  English, 
arriving,  at  once  made  an  attack,  falling  first  on  the  servants' 
huts,  which  they  took  for  those  of  the  chiefs.  This  gave  us 
time  to  form  up  in  good  order,  as  we  had  lain  down  each  in 
his  proper  position.  A  portion  of  the  force  went  down  to 
skirmish  with  the  English  in  front,  but  the  greater  portion 
marched  along  the  mountain  side  and  fell  suddenly  upon  the 
English  flank.  At  first  there  was  great  confusion,  but  the 
English  being  more  numerous  soon  recovered  their  order  and 
pushed  us  back,  though  not  without  much  loss  on  both  sides. 

"  Douglas  shouted  his  battle-cry,  advanced  his  banner,  fight- 
ing most  bravely,  as  did  Sir  Patrick  Hepburn,  but  for  whose 
bravery  the  Douglas  banner  would  have  been  taken,  for  the 
Percys,  hearing  the  cry  of  '  a  Douglas  !  a  Douglas  !  '  pressed 
to  that  part  of  the  field  and  bore  us  backwards.  I  was  in  the 
midst  of  it  with  ten  of  my  kinsmen  ;  and  though  we  all  fought 
as  became  men,  we  were  pressed  back,  and  began  to  think  that 


ACROSS   THE    BORDER  25 

the  day  would  be  lost.  Then  the  young  earl,  furious  at  seeing 
disaster  threaten  him,  dashed  into  the  midst  of  the  English 
ranks  swinging  his  battle-axe,  and  for  a  time  cutting  a  way 
for  himself.  But  one  man's  strength  and  courage  can  go  for 
but  little  in  such  a  fray.  Some  of  his  knights  and  squires  had 
followed  him,  but  in  the  darkness  it  was  but  few  who  per- 
ceived his  advance. 

"  Presently  three  knights  met  him,  and  all  their  spears 
pierced  him,  and  he  was  borne  from  his  horse  mortally 
wounded.  Happily  the  English  were  unaware  that  it  was 
Douglas  who  had  fallen.  Had  they  known  it,  their  courage 
would  have  been  mightily  raised,  and  the  day  would  assuredly 
have  been  lost.  We  too  were  ignorant  that  Douglas  had  fallen, 
and  still  fought  on.  In  other  parts  of  the  field  March  and 
Moray  were  holding  their  own  bravely.  Sir  Ralph  Percy,  who 
had,  like  Douglas,  charged  almost  alone  into  Moray's  ranks, 
was  sorely  wounded,  and,  being  surrounded,  surrendered  to 
Sir  John  Maxwell.  Elsewhere  many  captures  were  made  by 
both  parties ;  but  as  the  fight  went  on  the  advantage  turned 
to  our  side,  for  we  had  rested  all  the  day  before,  and  began 
the  battle  fresh,  after  some  hours  of  sleep,  while  the  English 
had  marched  eight  leagues  and  were  weary  when  they  began 
the  fight. 

"  Sir  James  Lindsay  and  Sir  Walter  Sinclair  with  some  other 
knights  who  had  followed  Douglas  found  him  still  alive.  With 
his  last  words  he  ordered  them  to  raise  his  banner  and  to  shout 
'  Douglas  ! '  so  that  friends  and  foes  should  think  that  he  was  of 
their  party.  These  instructions  they  followed.  We  and  others 
pressed  forwards  on  hearing  the  shout,  and  soon,  a  large  party 
being  collected,  resumed  the  battle  at  this  point.  Moray  and 
March  both  bore  their  arrays  in  the  direction  where  they 
believed  Douglas  to  be  battling,  and  so  together  we  pressed 
upon  the  English  so  hardly  that  they  retreated,  and  for  five 


26  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

miles  we  pursued  them  very  hotly.  Very  many  prisoners  were 
taken,  but  all  of  quality  were  at  once  put  to  ransom  and 
allowed  to  depart,  on  giving  their  knightly  word  of  payment 
within  fifteen  days. 

"  It  was  a  great  victory,  and  in  truth  none  of  us  well  knew 
how  it  had  come  about,  for  the  English  had  fought  as  well  and 
valiantly  as  we  did  ourselves ;  but  it  is  ill  for  wearied  men 
to  fight  against  fresh  ones.  Never  was  I  more  surprised  than 
when  we  found  that  the  battle,  which  for  a  time  had  gone 
mightily  against  us,  was  yet  won  in  the  end.  Methinks  that  it 
was  to  a  great  extent  due  to  the  fact  that  each  Englishman 
fought  for  himself,  while  we,  having  on  the  previous  day  re- 
ceived the  strictest  orders  to  fight  each  man  under  his  leader, 
to  hold  together,  and  to  obey  orders  in  all  respects,  kept  in  our 
companies,  and  so  in  the  end  gained  the  day  against  a  foe  as 
brave  and  much  more  numerous  than  ourselves." 

"Thank  you,  Uncle  Armstrong.  I  have  often  wondered  how 
it  was  that  the  Percys,  being  three  to  one  against  you,  were  yet 
defeated,  fighting  on  their  own  ground  as  it  were.  'T  is  long 
indeed  since  we  suffered  so  great  a  reverse." 

"That  is  true  enough,  Oswald.  In  the  days  of  Wallace  and 
Bruce  we  Scots  often  won  battles  with  long  odds  against  us ; 
but  that  was  because  we  fought  on  foot,  and  the  English  for 
the  most  part  on  horseback,  —  a  method  good  enough  on  an 
open  plain,  but  ill  fitted  for  a  land  of  morass  and  hill  like 
Scotland.  Since  the  English  also  took  to  fighting  on  foot,  the 
chances  have  been  equal,  and  we  have  repulsed  invasions  not 
so  much  by  force  as  by  falling  back,  and  so  wasting  the  coun- 
try that  the  English  had  but  the  choice  of  retreating  or  starving. 
There  is  reason,  indeed,  why,  when  equal  forces  are  arrayed 
against  each  other,  the  chances  should  also  be  equal,  for  we 
are  come  of  the  same  stock,  and  the  men  of  the  northern 
marches  of  England  and  those  of  Scotland  are  alike  hardy  and 


ACROSS   THE    BORDER  27 

accustomed  to  war.  Were  we  but  a  united  people  as  you 
English  are,  methinks  that  there  would  never  have  been  such 
constant  wars  between  us,  for  English  kings  would  not  have 
cared  to  have  invaded  a  country  where  they  would  find  but 
little  spoil,  and  have  hard  work  to  take  it.  But  our  nobles 
have  always  been  ready  to  turn  traitors ;  they  are  mostly  of 
Norman  blood  and  Norman  name,  and  no  small  part  of  them 
have  estates  in  England  as  well  as  in  Scotland.  Hence  it  is 
that  our  worst  enemies  have  always  been  in  our  midst.  And 
now  it  is  time  for  bed,  or  you  will  be  heavy  in  the  morning ; 
and  I  know  that  you  intend  starting  at  dawn  with  the  dogs, 
and  have  promised  to  bring  in  some  hares  for  dinner." 

Not  only  Oswald  and  Allan,  but  Janet  also,  was  afoot  early, 
and  after  taking  a  basin  of  porridge  started  for  the  hills,  ac- 
companied by  four  dogs.  They  carried  with  them  bows  and 
arrows,  in  case  the  dogs  should  drive  the  hares  within  shot. 
Six  hours  later  they  returned,  carrying  with  them  five  hares 
and  a  brace  of  birds.  These  had  both  fallen  to  Oswald's  bow, 
being  shot  while  on  the  ground,  for  in  those  days  the  idea  that 
it  was  unsportsmanlike  to  shoot  game  except  when  flying  was 
unknown.  For  a  week  they  went  out  every  day,  sometimes 
with  the  dogs,  but  more  often  with  hawks,  which  were  trained 
to  fly  not  only  at  birds  in  their  flight,  but  at  hares,  on  whose 
heads  they  alighted,  pecking  them  and  beating  them  so  fiercely 
with  their  wings  that  they  gave  time  for  the  party  on  foot  to 
run  up  and  despatch  the  quarry  with  an  arrow. 

Once  or  twice  they  accompanied  Adam  Armstrong  when  he 
rode  to  some  of  the  towns  in  the  neighbourhood  and  spent  the 
day  with  friends  of  the  Armstrongs  there.  For  a  fortnight  the 
time  passed  very  pleasantly  to  the  English  lad,  but  at  the  end 
of  that  time  Adam  Armstrong  returned  from  a  visit  to  Jed- 
burgh with  a  grave  face.  "  I  have  news,"  he  said,  "  that  your 
King  Richard  has  been  deposed,  that  Henry,  the   Duke  of 


28  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

Lancaster,  having  landed  in  Yorkshire,  was  joined  by  Percy 
and  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland,  and  has  been  proclaimed  king. 
This  will  cause  great  troubles  in  England,  for  surely  there  must 
be  many  there  who  will  not  tamely  see  a  king  dethroned  by 
treasonable  practices,  and  another  having  no  just  title  to  the 
crown  promoted  to  his  place.  Such  a  thing  is  contrary  to  all 
reason  and  justice.  A  king  has  the  same  right  to  his  crown  as 
a  noble  to  his  estates,  and  none  may  justly  take  them  away 
save  for  treasonable  practices,  and  a  king  cannot  commit 
treason  against  himself.  Therefore  it  is  like  that  there  will  be 
much  trouble  in  England,  and  I  fear  that  there  is  no  chance  of 
the  truce  that  concludes  at  the  end  of  this  month  being 
continued. 

"  The  fact  that  the  two  great  northern  lords  of  England  are 
both  with  their  forces  in  the  south  will  further  encourage 
trouble,  and  the  peace  that  with  small  intermissions  has  contin- 
ued since  the  battle  of  Otterburn  is  like  to  be  broken.  There- 
fore, my  lad,  I  think  it  best  that  you  should  cut  short  your 
visit  by  a  week,  and  you  shall  return  and  finish  it  when 
matters  have  settled  down.  Here  in  Scotland  we  are  not  with- 
out troubles ;  ill-blood  has  arisen  between  March  and  Douglas, 
owing  to  the  Duke  of  Ramsay  breaking  his  promise  to  marry 
the  Earl  of  March's  daughter  and  taking  Douglas's  girl  to  wife. 
This,  too,  has  sorely  angered  one  more  powerful  than  either 
Douglas  or  March  —  I  mean,  of  course,  Albany,  who  really 
exercises  the  kingly  power. 

"  But  troubles  in  Scotland  will  in  no  way  prevent  war  from 
breaking  out  with  England.  On  the  contrary,  the  quarrel 
between  the  two  great  lords  of  our  marches  will  cause  them  to 
loose  their  hold  of  the  border  men,  and  I  foresee  that  we  shall 
have  frays  and  forays  among  ourselves  again,  as  in  the  worst 
times  of  old ;  therefore  it  were  best  that  you  went  home. 
While  these  things  are  going  on,  the  private  friendship  between 


ACROSS  THE   BORDER  29 

so  many  families  on  either  side  of  the  border  must  be  sus- 
pended, and  all  intercourse,  for  maybe  every  man  on  either 
side  will  be  called  to  arms,  and  assuredly  it  will  not  be  safe 
for  one  of  either  nation  to  set  foot  across  the  border  save 
armed,  and  with  a  strong  clump  of  spears  at  his  back." 

"  I  shall  be  sorry  indeed  to  go,"  Oswald  said,  "  but  I  see 
that  if  troubles  do,  as  you  fear,  break  out  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  peace  a  fortnight  hence  —  " 

"  They  may  not  wait  for  that,"  Adam  Armstrong  interrupted 
him.  "A  truce  is  only  a  truce  so  long  as  there  are  those 
strong  enough  to  enforce  it,  and  with  Douglas  and  March  at 
variance  on  our  side,  and  Northumberland  and  Westmoreland 
absent  on  yours,  there  are  none  to  see  that  the  truce  is  not 
broken,  and  from  what  I  hear  it  may  not  be  many  days  before 
we  see  the  smoke  of  burning  houses  rising  upon  either  side  of 
the  border." 

"  The  more  reason  for  my  going  home,"  Oswald  said.  "  My 
father  is  not  likely  to  be  last  in  a  fray,  and  assuredly  he  would 
not  like  me  to  be  away  across  the  border  when  swords  are 
drawn.  I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  see  that  there  is  no  help  for  it, 
and  to-morrow  at  daybreak  I  will  start  for  home." 

That  evening  was  the  dullest  Oswald  had  spent  during  his 
visit.  The  prospect  that  the  two  nations  might  soon  be  engaged 
in  another  desperate  struggle  saddened  the  young  cousins,  who 
felt  that  a  long  time  might  elapse  before  they  again  met,  and 
that  in  the  meantime  their  fathers,  and  possibly  themselves, 
might  be  fighting  in  opposite  ranks.  Although  the  breaches 
of  the  truces  caused,  as  a  rule,  but  little  bloodshed,  being  in 
fact  but  cattle-lifting  expeditions,  it  was  very  different  in  time 
of  war,  when  wholesale  massacres  took  place  on  both  sides, 
towns  and  villages  were  burned  down,  and  the  whole  of  the 
inhabitants  put  to  the  sword.  Ten  years  had  sufficed  to  soften 
the  memory  of  these  events,  especially  among  young  people, 


80  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

but  each  had  heard  numberless  stories  of  wrong  and  slaughter, 
and  felt  that  when  war  once  again  broke  out  in  earnest,  there 
was  little  hope  that  there  would  be  any  change  in  the  manner 
in  which  it  would  be  conducted. 

Oswald  rode  rapidly  until  he  had  crossed  the  border.  The 
truce  would  not  expire  for  another  thirteen  days,  but  the 
raiders  might  be  at  work  at  any  moment,  for  assuredly  there 
would  be  no  chance  of  complaints  being  made  on  the  eve  of 
recommencement  of  general  hostilities.  He  met  no  one  on  the 
road  until  he  reached  the  first  hamlet  on  the  English  side  ;  here 
he  stopped  to  give  his  horse  half  an  hour's  rest  and  a  feed. 
As  he  dismounted,  two  or  three  of  the  villagers  came  up. 

"  Have  you  heard  aught,  lad,  of  any  gatherings  on  the  other 
side  of  the  border?" 

"  None  from  where  I  came ;  but  there  was  a  talk  that 
notices  had  been  sent  through  the  southern  Scottish  marches 
for  all  to  be  in  readiness  to  gather  to  the  banner  without  delay 
when  the  summons  was  received." 

"  That  is  what  we  have  heard,"  a  man  said.  "  We  have  made 
everything  in  readiness  to  drive  off  our  cattle  to  the  fells ;  the 
beacons  are  all  prepared  for  lighting  from  Berwick  down  to 
Carlisle,  and  assuredly  the  Scotch  will  find  little  near  the 
border  to  carry  back  with  them.  You  are  the  son  of  stout 
John  Forster  of  Yardhope  Keep,  are  you  not  ?  I  saw  you  rid- 
ing by  his  side  two  months  since  at  Alwinton  fair." 

"Yes,  I  was  there  with  him." 

"  He  will  have  hot  work  if  a  Scotch  army  marches  into 
Tynedale.  The  Bairds  will  be  sure  to  muster  strongly,  and 
they  won't  forgive  the  last  raid  on  them,  and  whichever  way 
they  go  you  may  be  sure  that  your  father's  hold  will  receive 
a  visit." 

"  It  was  but  a  return  raid,"  Oswald  said.  "The  Bairds  had 
been  down  our  way  but  a  short  time  before  and  lifted  all  the 


ACROSS   THE   BORDER  31 

cattle  and  horses  that  they  could  lay  hands  on  for  miles 
round." 

"That  is  true  enough.  We  all  know  the  thieving  loons. 
But  men  remember  the  injuries  they  have  suffered  better  than 
those  they  have  inflicted,  and  they  will  count  Allan  Baird's 
death  as  more  than  a  set-off  for  a  score  of  their  own 
forays." 

"  If  we  have  only  the  Bairds  to  settle  with,  we  can  hold  our 
walls  against  them,"  Oswald  said ;  "  but  if  the  whole  of  the 
Scotch  army  come  our  way,  we  must  do  as  you  are  doing, 
drive  the  cattle  to  the  hills,  and  leave  them  to  do  what  harm 
they  can  to  the  stone  walls,  which  they  will  find  it  hard  work 
to  damage." 

"Ay,  I  have  heard  that  they  are  stronger  than  ordinary, 
and  so  they  need  be,  seeing  that  you  have  a  blood  feud  with 
the  Bairds.  Well,  they  are  not  like  to  have  much  time  to 
waste  over  it,  for  our  sheriff  has  already  sent  word  here  as  to 
the  places  where  we  are  to  gather  when  the  beacon-fires  are 
lighted,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  the  Percys  will  lose  no 
time  in  marching  against  them  with  all  their  array ;  and  the 
Scots  are  like  to  find,  as  they  have  found  before,  that  it  is  an 
easier  thing  to  cross  the  border  than  it  is  to  get  back." 

Late  that  evening  Oswald  returned  home.  After  the  first 
greetings  his  father  said  :  "  It  is  high  time  that  you  were  back, 
Oswald.  Rumour  is  busy  all  along  the  border ;  but  for  my- 
self, though  I  doubt  not  that  their  moss-troopers  will  be  on 
the  move  as  soon  as  the  truce  ends,  I  think  there  will  not  be 
any  invasion  in  force  for  some  little  time.  The  great  lords  of 
the  Scotch  marches  are  ill  friends  with  each  other,  and  until 
the  quarrel  between  Douglas  and  Dunbar  is  patched  up, 
neither  will  venture  to  march  his  forces  into  England.  It 
may  be  months  yet  before  we  see  their  pennons  flying  on 
English  soil.     My  brother  Alwyn  has  been  over  here  for  a  day 


32  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

or  two  since  you  were  away.  The  Percys  are  down  south,  so 
he  was  free  to  ride  over  here. 

"  He  wants  us  to  send  you  to  him  without  loss  of  time.  He 
says  that  there  is  a  vacancy  in  Percy's  household,  owing  to 
one  of  his  esquires  being  made  a  knight,  and  a  page  has  been 
promoted  to  an  esquireship.  He  said  that  he  spoke  to  Hot- 
spur before  he  went  south  anent  the  matter,  and  asked  him 
to  enroll  you  not  exactly  as  a  page,  but  as  one  who,  from  his 
knowledge  of  the  border,  would  be  a  safe  and  trusty  messen- 
ger to  send  in  case  of  need.  As  he  has  served  the  Percys  for 
thirty  years,  and  for  ten  has  been  the  captain  of  their  men-at- 
arms,  and  has  never  asked  for  aught  either  for  himself  or  his 
relations,  Percy  gave  him  a  favourable  answer,  and  said  that  if 
on  his  return  he  would  present  you  to  him,  and  he  found  that 
you  were  a  lad  of  manners  that  would  be  suitable  for  a  mem- 
ber of  his  household,  he  would  grant  his  request,  partly,  too, 
because  my  father  and  myself  had  always  been  stanch  men, 
and  ready  at  all  times  to  join  his  banner  when  summoned  and 
to  fight  doughtily.  So  there  seems  a  good  chance  of  prefer- 
ment for  you. 

"  Your  mother  is  willing  that  you  should  go.  She  says,  and 
truly  enough,  that  if  you  stay  here  it  will  be  but  to  engage,  as 
I  and  my  forebears  have  done,  in  constant  feuds  with  the 
Scots,  harrying  and  being  harried,  never  knowing  when  we 
lie  down  to  rest  but  that  we  may  be  woke  up  by  the  battle- 
shout  of  the  Bairds,  and  leaving  behind  us  when  we  die  no 
more  than  we  took  from  our  fathers.  I  know  not  how  your 
own  thoughts  may  run  in  the  matter,  Oswald,  but  methinks 
that  there  is  much  in  what  she  says,  though  for  myself  I  wish 
for  nothing  better  than  what  I  am  accustomed  to.  Percy  would 
have  knighted  me  had  I  wished  it  years  ago,  but  plain  Jock 
Forster  I  was  born  and  so  will  I  die  when  my  time  comes  ; 
for  it  would  alter  my  condition  in  no  way,  save  that  as  Jock 


ACROSS   THE    BORDER  33 

Forster  I  can  lead  a  raid  across  the  border,  but  as  Sir  John 
Forster  it  would  be  hardly  seemly  for  me  to  do  so  save  when 
there  is  open  war  between  the  countries. 

"  It  is  different  in  your  case ;  you  are  young,  and  can  fit 
yourself  to  another  mode  of  life,  and  can  win  for  yourself  with 
your  sword  a  better  fortune  than  you  will  inherit  from  me. 
Besides,  lad,  I  am  like  enough,  unless  a  Baird  spear  finishes 
me  sooner,  to  live  another  thirty  years  yet,  and  it  is  always 
sure  to  lead  to  trouble  if  there  are  two  cocks  in  one  farmyard. 
You  would  have  your  notions  as  to  how  matters  should  be 
done,  and  I  should  have  mine  ;  and  so  for  many  reasons  it  is 
right  that  you  should  go  out  into  the  world.  If  matters  go 
well  with  you,  all  the  better ;  if  not,  you  will  always  be  wel- 
come back  here,  and  will  be  master  when  I  am  gone.  What 
say  you?" 

"  It  comes  suddenly  upon  me,  father ;  but  as  I  have  always 
thought  that  I  should  like  to  see  something  of  the  world  be- 
yond our  own  dales,  I  would  gladly,  for  a  time  at  least,  accept 
my  uncle's  offer,  which  is  a  rare  one  and  far  beyond  my  hopes. 
I  should  be  sorry  to  leave  you  and  my  mother,  but  save  for 
that,  it  seems  to  me,  as  to  you,  that  it  would  be  best  for  me  to 
go  out  into  the  world  for  a  time." 

"  Then  that  is  settled,  and  to-morrow  you  shall  ride  to  Aln- 
wick and  see,  at  any  rate,  if  aught  comes  of  the  matter.  Do 
not  cry,  wife ;  it  is  your  counsel  that  I  am  acting  upon,  and 
you  have  told  me  you  are  sure  that  it  is  best  that  he  should 
go.  It  is  not  as  if  he  were  taking  service  with  a  southern 
lord.  He  will  be  but  a  day's  ride  away  from  us,  and  doubtless 
will  be  able  to  come  over  at  times  and  stay  a  day  or  two  with 
us ;  and  once  a  year,  when  times  are  peaceable,  you  shall  ride 
behind  me  on  a  pillion  to  see  how  things  go  with  him  at  the 
Percys'  castle.  At  any  rate,  it  will  be  better  by  far  than  if  he 
had  carried  out  that  silly  fancy  of  his  for  putting  himself  in 


34  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

the  hands  of  the  monks  and  learning  to  read  and  write,  which 
would  perchance  have  ended  in  his  shaving  his  crown  and 
taking  to  a  cowl,  and  there  would  have  been  an  end  of  the 
Forsters  of  Yardhope.  Now  put  that  cold  joint  upon  the 
table  again;  doubtless  the  lad  has  a  wolfs  appetite." 

There  was  no  time  lost.  The  next  day  was  spent  in  looking 
out  his  clothes  and  packing  his  valise  by  his  mother,  while  he 
rode  round  the  country  to  say  good-bye  to  some  of  his  friends. 
The  next  morning  at  daybreak  he  started,  and  at  nightfall 
rode  into  the  castle  of  Alnwick  and  inquired  for  Alwyn  For- 
ster.  The  two  men-at-arms,  who  had  regarded  his  appearance 
on  his  shaggy  border  horse  with  scarce  concealed  contempt,  at 
once  answered  civilly  that  the  captain  would  be  found  in  his 
room  in  the  north  turret.  They  then  pointed  out  to  him  the 
stables  where  he  could  bestow  his  horse,  and  having  seen  some 
hay  placed  before  it,  and  a  feed  of  barley,  to  which  the  animal 
was  but  little  accustomed,  Oswald  made  his  way  up  the  turret 
to  the  room  in  which  his  uncle  lodged. 

The  stately  castle,  and  the  beauty  as  well  as  the  strength  of 
the  Percys'  great  stronghold,  had  in  no  small  degree  surprised 
and  almost  awed  the  lad,  accustomed  only  to  the  rough  border 
holds.  It  was  situated  on  rising  ground  on  the  river  Aln,  and 
consisted  of  a  great  keep,  which  dated  back  to  the  times  of  the 
Saxons,  and  three  courts,  each  of  which  were  indeed  separate 
fortresses,  the  embattled  gates  being  furnished  with  portcullises 
and  strong  towers.  Within  the  circuit  of  its  walls  it  contained 
some  five  acres  of  ground  with  sixteen  towers,  the  outer  wall 
being  surrounded  by  a  moat. 

The  Percys  were  descended  from  a  Danish  chief,  who  was 
one  of  the  conquerors  of  Normandy,  and  settled  there.  The 
Percy  of  the  time  came  over  with  William  the  Norman,  and 
obtained  from  him  the  gift  of  large  possessions  in  the  south 
of  England  and  in  Yorkshire,  and,  marrying  a  great  Saxon 


ACROSS  THE   BORDER  35 

heiress,  added  to  his  wide  lands  in  the  north.  One  of  the 
Percys  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  made  a  journey  to  Jerusalem, 
and  died  in  the  Holy  Land.  None  of  his  four  sons  survived 
him.  His  eldest  daughter  Maude  married  the  Earl  of  War- 
wick, but,  dying  childless,  her  sister  Agnes  became  sole  heir  to 
the  broad  lands  of  the  Percys.  She  married  the  son  of  the 
Duke  of  Brabant,  the  condition  of  her  marriage  being  that  he 
should  either  take  the  arms  of  the  Percys  instead  of  his  own, 
or  continue  to  bear  his  own  arms  and  take  the  name  of  Percy. 
He  chose  the  latter  alternative.  Their  son  was  one  of  the 
barons  who  forced  King  John  to  grant  the  Magna  Charta. 
The  Percys  always  distinguished  themselves  in  the  wars  against 
the  Scots,  and  received  at  various  times  grants  of  territory  in  that 
country,  one  of  them  being  made  Earl  of  Carrick  when  Robert 
the  Bruce  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  against  England. 

Upon  the  other  hand,  they  not  unfrequently  took  a  share  in 
risings  against  the  Kings  of  England,  and  their  estates  were 
confiscated  for  a  time  by  their  taking  a  leading  part  in  the 
action  against  Piers  Gaveston,  the  royal  favourite.  It  was  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  II.  that  the  Percy  of  the  time  obtained  by 
purchase  the  Barony  of  Alnwick,  which  from  that  date  became 
the  chief  seat  of  the  family.  The  present  earl  was  the  first 
of  the  rank,  having  been  created  by  Richard  II.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  powerful  nobles  in  England,  and  it  was  at  his  invita- 
tion that  Henry  of  Lancaster  had  come  over  from  France  and 
had  been  placed  on  the  throne  by  the  Percys  and  some  other 
of  the  northern  nobles,  and  as  a  reward  for  his  service  the 
earl  was  created  High  Constable  of  England. 


36  BOTH  SIDES  THE   BORDER 

CHAPTER  III 

AT   ALNWICK 

"  \7"OU  are  rarely  changed,  Oswald,"  his  uncle  said  as  the 
JL  lad  entered  his  apartment.  "  'T  is  three  years  since 
I  last  saw  you,  and  you  have  shot  up  nigh  a  head  since  then. 
I  should  not  have  known  you  had  I  met  you  in  the  street,  but 
as  I  was  expecting  you,  it  is  easy  to  recall  your  features.  I 
made  sure  that  you  would  come,  for  although  your  father  was 
at  first  averse  to  my  offer  I  soon  found  that  your  mother  was 
on  my  side,  and  I  know  that  in  the  long  run  my  brother 
generally  gives  in  to  her  wishes ;  and  I  was  sure  that  as  you 
were  a  lad  of  spirit  you  would  be  glad  to  try  a  flight  from 
home.  You  are  growing  up  mightily  like  your  father,  and 
promise  to  be  as  big  and  as  strong  as  we  both  are  ;  your  eyes 
speak  of  a  bold  disposition,  and  my  brother  tells  me  that  you 
are  already  well  practised  with  your  arms.  You  understand 
that  it  is  Sir  Henry,  whom  they  call  Hotspur,  that  you  are  to 
serve.  As  to  the  earl,  he  is  too  great  a  personage  for  me  to 
ask  a  favour  from,  but  Sir  Henry  is  different. 

"  I  taught  him  the  first  use  of  his  arms,  and  many  a  bout 
have  I  had  with  him.  He  treats  me  as  a  comrade  rather  than 
as  the  captain  of  his  father's  men-at-arms  here  ;  and  when  I 
spoke  to  him  about  you  he  said  at  once,  '  Bring  him  here,  and 
we  will  see  what  we  can  do  for  him.  If  he  is  a  fellow  of  parts 
and  discretion,  I  doubt  not  that  we  can  make  him  useful.  You 
say  he  knows  every  inch  of  our  side  of  the  border  and  some- 
thing of  the  Scottish  side  of  it,  his  mother's  sister  being  mar- 
ried to  one  of  the  Armstrongs.  There  is  like  to  be  trouble 
before  long.     You  know  the  purpose  for  which  I   am  going 


AT   ALNWICK  37 

away ;  and  the  Scots  are  sure  to  take  advantage  of  changes 
in  England,  and  a  youth  who  can  ride,  and  knows  the  border, 
and  can,  if  needs  be,  strike  a  blow  in  self-defence,  will  not 
have  to  stay  idle  in  the  castle  long.  His  father  is  a  stout  with- 
stander  of  the  Scots,  and  the  earl  would  have  given  him  knight- 
hood if  he  would  have  taken  it,  and  maybe  in  the  future  the  son 
will  win  that  honour.  He  is  too  old  for  a  page,  and  I  should 
say  too  little  versed  in  our  ways  for  such  a  post,  but  I  promise 
you  that  when  he  is  old  enough  he  shall  be  one  of  my  esquires.' 
So  you  may  soon  have  an  opportunity  of  showing  Hotspur 
what  you  are  made  of.  And  now  I  doubt  not  that  you  are 
hungry ;  I  will  send  down  to  the  buttery  for  a  couple  of 
tankards  and  a  pasty.  I  had  my  supper  two  hours  ago,  but  I 
doubt  not  that  I  can  keep  you  company  in  another." 

He  went  to  the  window  and  called  out,  "  John  Horn  ! " 
The  name  was  repeated  below,  and  in  two  minutes  a  servant 
came  up.  The  captain  gave  him  directions,  and  they  shortly 
sat  down  to  a  substantial   meal. 

"The  first  thing  to  do,  lad,  will  be  to  get  you  garments 
more  suitable  to  the  Percys'  castle  than  those  you  have  on ; 
they  are  good  enough  to  put  on  under  armour  or  when  you  ride 
in  a  foray ;  but  here  one  who  would  ride  in  the  train  of  the 
Percys  must  make  a  brave  show.  It  is  curfew  now,  but  to-morrow 
early  we  will  sally  into  the  town,  where  we  shall  find  a  good 
choice  of  garments  for  men  of  all  conditions.  You  hold  your- 
self well,  and  you  have  something  of  your  mother's  softness  of 
speech,  and  will,  I  think,  make  a  good  impression  on  Sir 
Henry  when  suitably  clad.  You  see,  there  are  many  sons  of 
knights  of  good  repute  and  standing  who  would  be  glad  indeed 
that  their  sons  should  obtain  a  post  in  Hotspur's  personal  fol- 
lowing, and  who  might  grumble  were  they  passed  over  in 
favour  of  one  who,  by  his  appearance,  was  of  lower  condition 
than  themselves. 


38  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

"  John  Forster  is  well  known  on  the  border  as  a  valiant 
fighter  and  a  leading  man  in  Coquetdale.  It  is  known,  too, 
that  he  might  have  been  knighted  had  he  chosen,  and  doubt- 
less there  are  many  who,  having  heard  that  his  hold  is  one  of 
the  strongest  on  the  border,  give  him  credit  for  having  far 
wider  possessions  than  that  bit  of  moor  round  the  hold,  and 
grazing  rights  for  miles  beyond  it.  If,  then,  you  make  a  brave 
show,  none  will  question  the  choice  that  Hotspur  may  make ; 
but  were  you  to  appear  in  that  garb  you  have  on,  they  might 
well  deem  that  your  father  is,  after  all,  but  a  moss-trooper.  He 
told  me  that  you  had  once  a  fancy  to  learn  to  read  and  write. 
What  put  that  idea  into  your  head?  I  do  not  say  that  it  was 
not  a  good  one,  but  at  least  it  was  a  strange  one  for  a  lad 
brought  up  as  you  have  been." 

"  I  think,  uncle,  that  it  was  rather  my  mother's  idea  than 
my  own ;  she  thought  that  it  might  conduce  to  my  advance- 
ment should  I  ever  leave  the  hold  and  go  out  into  the  world." 

"  She  was  quite  right,  Oswald,  and  't  is  a  pity  that  you  did 
not  go  for  a  couple  of  years  to  a  monastery.  It  is  a  good 
thing  to  be  able  to  read  an  order  or  to  write  one,  for  many  of 
the  lords  and  knights  can  do  no  more  than  make  a  shift  to  sign 
their  names.  As  for  books,  I  say  nothing,  for  I  see  not  what 
manner  of  good  they  are,  but  father  Ernulf,  who  is  chaplain 
here,  tells  me  that  one  who  gives  his  mind  to  it  can  in  a  year 
learn  enough  to  write  down,  not  in  a  clerkly  hand,  but  in  one 
that  can  be  understood,  any  letter  or  order  his  lord  may 
wish  sent,  or  to  read  for  him  any  that  he  receives.  In  most 
matters,  doubtless,  an  order  by  word  of  mouth  is  just  as  good 
as  one  writ  on  vellum,  but  there  are  times  when  a  messenger 
could  not  be  trusted  to  deliver  one  accurately  as  he  receives  it, 
or  it  might  have  to  be  passed  on  from  hand  to  hand.  Other- 
wise a  spoken  message  is  the  best,  for  if  a  messenger  be  killed 
on  the  way  none  are  the  wiser  as  to  the  errand  on  which  he  is 


AT  ALNWICK  39 

going,  while,  if  a  parchment  is  found  on  him,  the  first  priest 
or  monk  can  translate  its  purport.  The  chaplain  has  two 
younger  priests  with  him,  and  should  you  be  willing  I  doubt 
not  that  one  of  these  would  give  you  instruction  for  an  hour  or 
two  of  a  day.  The  Percys  may  not  be  back  for  another  month 
or  two,  and  if  you  apply  yourself  to  it  honestly  you  might  learn 
something  by  that  time." 

"  I  should  like  it  very  much,  uncle." 

"  Then,  so  it  shall  be,  lad.  For  two  or  three  hours  a  day 
you  must  practise  in  arms,  —  I  have  some  rare  swordsmen 
among  my  fellows,  —  but  for  the  rest  of  the  time  you  will  be 
your  own  master.  I  will  speak  with  father  Ernulf  in  the  morn- 
ing after  we  have  seen  to  the  matter  of  your  garments." 

A  straw  pallet  was  brought  up  to  the  chamber,  and  after 
chatting  for  half  an  hour  about  his  visit  to  the  Armstrongs, 
Oswald  took  off  his  riding-boots  and  jerkin,  the  total  amount 
of  disrobing  usual  at  that  time  on  the  border,  and  was  soon 
asleep. 

"  I  am  afraid,  uncle,"  he  said  in  the  morning,  "  that  the 
furnishment  of  the  purse  my  father  gave  me  at  starting  will 
not  go  far  towards  what  you  may  consider  necessary  for  my 
outfit." 

"  That  need  not  trouble  you  at  all,  lad.  I  told  your  father 
I  should  take  all  charges  upon  myself,  having  no  children  of 
my  own,  and  no  way  to  spend  my  money,  therefore  I  can 
afford  well  to  do  as  I  like  towards  you.  Once  the  war  begins, 
you  will  fill  your  purse  yourself,  for  although  the  peoples  of 
the  towns  and  villages  suffer  by  the  Scotch  incursions,  we  men- 
at-arms  profit  by  a  war.  We  have  nought  that  they  can  take 
from  us  but  our  lives,  while  we  take  our  share  of  the  booty, 
and  have  the  ransom  of  any  knights  or  gentlemen  we  may 
make  prisoners." 

Accordingly  they  went  into  Alnwick,  and   Alwyn   Forster 


40  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

bought  for  his  nephew  several  suits  of  clothes  suitable  for  a 
young  gentleman  of  good  family,  together  with  armour  of 
much  more  modern  fashion  than  that  to  which  Oswald  was 
accustomed.  When  they  returned  to  the  castle  the  lad  was 
told  to  put  on  one  of  these  suits  at  once. 

"Make  your  old  ones  up  in  a  bundle,"  his  uncle  said. 
"There  may  be  occasions  when  you  may  find  such  clothes 
useful,  though  here  assuredly  they  are  out  of  place.  Now  I 
will  go  with  you  to  father  Ernulf." 

The  priest's  abode  was  in  what  was  called  the  Abbots' 
Tower,  which  was  the  one  nearest  to  the  large  monastery  out- 
side the  walls. 

"  I  told  you,  father,"  the  captain  said,  "  that  belike  my 
nephew  would  join  me  here,  as  I  was  going  to  present  him  to 
Sir  Henry  Percy.  The  good  knight  will  not  be  back  again 
mayhap  for  some  weeks,  and  the  lad  has  a  fancy  to  learn  to 
read  and  write,  and  I  thought  you  might  put  him  in  the  way 
of  his  attaining  such  knowledge." 

"  He  looks  as  if  the  sword  will  suit  his  hand  better  than  the 
pen,"  the  priest  said  with  a  smile,  as  his  eye  glanced  over  the 
lad's  active  figure.  "  But  surely,  if  he  is  so  inclined,  I  shall  be 
glad  to  further  his  wishes.  There  is  a  monk  at  the  monastery 
who,  although  a  good  scholar,  is  fitted  rather  for  the  army 
than  the  Church.  He  was  one  of  our  teachers,  but  in  sooth  had 
but  little  patience  with  the  blunders  of  the  children ;  but  I  am 
sure  that  he  would  gladly  give  his  aid  to  a  lad  like  this,  and 
would  bear  with  him  if  he  really  did  his  best.  I  have  nought 
to  do  at  present,  and  will  go  down  with  him  at  once  and  talk 
to  friar  Roger.  If  the  latter  would  rather  have  nought  to  do 
with  it,  one  of  my  juniors  shall  undertake  the  task ;  but  I  am 
sure  that  the  friar  would  make  a  better  instructor,  if  he  would 
take  it  in  hand. 

"  He  is  a  stout  man-at-arms  —  for,  as  you  know,  when  the 


AT  ALNWICK  41 

Scots  cross  the  border,  the  abbot  always  sends  a  party  of  his 
stoutest  monks  to  fight  in  Percy's  ranks,  as  is  but  right,  seeing 
that  the  Scots  plunder  a  monastery  as  readily  as  a  village. 
Friar  Roger  was  the  senior  in  command  under  the  sub-prior 
of  the  monks  who  fought  at  Otterburn,  and  all  say  that  none 
fought  more  stoutly,  and  the  monks  were  the  last  to  fall  back 
on  that  unfortunate  day.  They  say  that  he  incurred  many 
penances  for  his  unchurchly  language  during  the  fight,  but 
that  the  abbot  remitted  them  on  account  of  the  valour  that 
he  had  shown." 

Accordingly  the  priest  went  off  with  Oswald  to  the  monas- 
tery, while  Alwyn  Forster  remained  to  attend  to  his  duties  as 
captain  of  the  men-at-arms.  On  his  saying  that  he  wished  to 
see  the  friar  Roger,  the  priest  was  shown  into  a  waiting-room, 
where  the  monk  soon  joined  them.  He  was  a  tall,  powerful 
man,  standing  much  over  six  feet  in  height,  and  of  propor- 
tionate width  of  shoulders.  He  carried  his  head  erect,  and 
looked  more  like  a  man-at-arms  in  disguise  than  a  monk.  He 
bent  his  head  to  the  priest,  and  then  said  in  a  hearty  tone  : 

"  Well,  father  Ernulf,  what  would  you  with  me  to-day  ? 
You  have  no  news  of  the  Scots  having  crossed  the  border,  and 
I  fear  that  there  is  no  chance  at  present  of  my  donning  a 
cuirass  over  my  gown?" 

"  None  at  present,  brother,  though  it  may  well  be  so  before 
long.  I  hope  that  we  shall  soon  have  the  earl  and  his  son 
back  again,  for  the  Scots  are  sure  to  take  advantage  of  their 
absence  now  that  the  truce  is  expired.  No,  I  want  you  on 
other  business.  This  young  gentleman  is  the  nephew  of 
Alwyn  Forster,  whom  you  know." 

"  Right  well,  father,  a  good  fellow  and  a  stout  fighter." 

"  He  is  about  to  enter  Sir  Henry's  household,"  the  priest 
went  on ;  "  but  seeing  that  the  knight  is  still  away,  and  may 
be  absent  for  some  weeks  yet,  the  young  man  is  anxious  to 


42  BOTH  SIDES   THE    BORDER 

learn  to  read  and  write  —  not  from  any  idea  of  entering  the 
Church,"  he  broke  off  with  a  smile  at  the  expression  of  surprise 
on  the  monk's  face,  "  but  that  it  may  be  useful  to  him  in 
procuring  advancement.  I  have  therefore  brought  him  to  you, 
thinking  that  you  would  make  a  far  better  teacher  for  a  lad 
like  him  than  your  brothers  in  the  school.  I  thought  perhaps 
that  if  I  spoke  to  the  abbot  he  might  release  you  from  your 
attendance  at  some  of  the  services  for  such  a  purpose." 

"  That  is  a  consideration,"  the  monk  laughed.  "  Well, 
young  sir,  I  tell  you  fairly  that  among  my  gifts  is  not  that  of 
patience  with  fools.  If  you  are  disposed  to  work  right  heartily, 
as  I  suppose  you  must  be  or  you  would  not  make  such  a 
request,  I  on  my  part  will  do  my  best  to  teach  you ;  but  you 
must  not  mind  if  sometimes  you  get  a  rough  buffet  to  assist 
your  memory." 

"  I  should  doubt  whether  a  buffet  from  you  would  not  be 
more  likely  to  confuse  my  memory  than  to  assist  it,"  Oswald 
said  with  a  smile ;  "  but  at  any  rate  I  am  ready  to  take  my 
chance,  and  can  promise  to  do  my  best  to  avoid  taxing  your 
patience  to  that  point." 

"That  will  do,  father,"  the  monk  said.  "He  is  a  lad  of 
spirit,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  train  one  of  that  kind.  As  to 
the  puny  boys  they  send  to  be  made  monks  because,  forsooth, 
they  are  likely  to  grow  up  too  weak  for  any  other  calling,  I 
have  no  patience  with  them,  and  I  get  into  sore  disgrace 
with  the  abbot  for  my  shortness  of  temper." 

"  I  am  afraid,  from  what  I  hear,"  the  priest  said,  shaking  his 
head,  but  unable  to  repress  a  smile,  "that  you  are  often  in 
disgrace,  brother  Roger." 

"  I  fear  that  it  is  so,  and  were  it  not  that  I  am  useful  in 
teaching  the  lay  brothers  and  the  younger  monks  the  use  of 
the  carnal  weapons,  I  know  that  before  this  I  should  have 
been  bundled  out,  neck  and  crop.     'Tis  hard,  father,  for  a 


IHIS    IS    THE    NEPHEW    01-    ALWYN    FORSTER. 


AT  ALNWICK  43 

man  of  my  inches  to  be  shut  up  here  when  there  is  so  much 
fighting  to  be  done  abroad." 

"There  is  good  work  to  be  done  everywhere,"  the  priest 
said  gravely.  "  Many  of  us  may  have  made  a  mistake  in 
choosing  our  vocations,  but,  if  so,  we  must  make  the  best 
we  can  of  what  is  before  us." 

"What  time  will  you  come?"  the  monk  asked  Oswald. 

"  My  uncle  said  that  he  would  suit  my  hours  to  yours ;  but 
that  if  it  was  all  the  same  to  you  I  should  practise  in  arms 
from  six  o'clock  till  eight,  and  again  for  an  hour  or  two  in  the 
evening,  so  that  I  could  come  to  you  either  in  the  morning  or 
afternoon." 

"  Come  at  both  if  you  will,"  the  monk  said.  "  If  the  good 
father  can  get  me  off  the  services  from  eight  till  six,  you  can 
be  with  me  all  that  time  save  at  the  dinner-hour.  You  have 
but  a  short  time  to  learn  in,  and  must  give  yourself  heartily  to 
it.  There  is  the  chapel  bell  ringing  now,  and  I  must  be  off. 
The  abbot  will  not  be  present  at  this  service,  father,  and  if 
you  will  you  can  see  him  now.  I  doubt  not  that  he  will  grant 
your  request,  for  I  know  that  I  anger  him  every  time  I  am  in 
chapel.  I  am  fond  of  music,  and  I  have  a  voice  like  a  bull, 
and  do  what  I  will  it  will  come  out  in  spite  of  me  ;  and  he  says 
that  my  roaring  destroys  the  effect  of  the  whole  choir." 

So  saying  he  strode  away. 

"  Do  you  wait  outside  the  gates,  my  son,"  the  priest  said. 
"  I  shall  be  only  a  few  minutes  with  the  abbot,  who,  as  friar 
Roger  says,  will,  I  doubt  not,  be  glad  enough  to  grant  him 
leave  to  abstain  from  attendance  at  the  services." 

In  a  short  time  indeed  he  rejoined  Oswald  at  the  gate. 

"That  matter  was  managed  easily  enough,"  he  said.  "The 
abbot  has  himself  a  somewhat  warlike  disposition,  which  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at,  seeing  that  he  comes  from  a  family  ever 
ready  to  draw  the  sword,  and  he   has  therefore  a  liking  for 


44  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

friar  Roger,  in  spite  of  his  contumacies,  breaches  of  regula- 
tions, and  quarrels  with  the  other  monks.  He  is  obliged  to 
continually  punish  him  with  sentences  of  seclusion,  penance, 
and  fasting,  but  methinks  it  goes  against  the  grain.  He  said 
at  once  that  he  was  delighted  to  hear  that  he  had  voluntarily 
undertaken  some  work  that  would  keep  him  out  of  trouble, 
and  that  he  willingly,  and  indeed  gladly,  absolved  him  from 
attendance  in  chapel  during  the  hours  that  he  was  occupied 
with  you." 

"  He  is  not  without  his  uses,"  he  said.  "  He  is  in  special 
charge  of  the  garden,  and  looks  after  the  lay  brothers  em- 
ployed in  it.  I  will  put  someone  else  in  charge  while  he  is 
busy,  though  I  doubt  if  any  will  get  as  much  work  out  of  the 
lay  brothers  as  he  does,  and  indeed  he  himself  labours  harder 
than  any  of  them.  With  any  other  I  should  say  that  tucking 
his  gown  round  his  waist  and  labouring  with  might  and  main 
was  unseemly,  but  as  it  works  off  some  of  his  superabundant 
energy,  I  do  not  interfere  with  him." 

"  How  ever  did  he  become  a  monk,  father?  " 
"  It  seems  that  he  was  a  somewhat  sickly  child,  and  his 
father  sent  him  to  the  monastery  to  be  taught  with  a  view  to 
entering  the  Church.  He  was  quick  and  bright  in  his  parts, 
but  as  his  health  improved  he  grew  restless,  and  at  fifteen 
refused  to  follow  the  vocation  marked  out  for  him,  and  re- 
turned home,  where,  as  I  have  heard,  he  took  part  in  various 
daring  forays  across  the  border.  When  he  was  five-and-twenty 
he  was  wounded  well-nigh  to  death  in  one  of  these,  and  he 
took  it  as  a  judgment  upon  him  for  deserting  the  Church,  so 
he  returned  here  and  became  a  lay  brother.  He  was  a  very 
long  time  before  he  recovered  his  full  strength,  and  before  he 
iid  so  he  became  a  monk,  and  I  believe  has  bitterly  regretted 
the  fact  ever  since.  Some  day,  I  am  afraid,  he  will  break  the 
bounds  altogether,  throw  away  his  gown,  assume  a  breast-plate 


AT   ALNWICK  45 

and  steel  cap,  and  become  an  unfrocked  monk.  I  believe  he 
fights  hard  against  his  inclinations,  but  they  are  too  strong 
for  him.  If  war  breaks  out  I  fear  that  some  day  he  will  be 
missing.  He  will,  of  course,  go  down  south,  where  he  will  be 
unknown,  and  where,  when  the  hair  on  his  tonsure  has  grown, 
he  can  well  pass  as  a  man-at-arms,  and  take  sen-ice  with  some 
warlike  lord.  I  trust  that  it  may  not  be  so,  but  he  will 
assuredly  make  a  far  better  man-at-arms  than  he  will  ever 
make  a  good  monk." 

The  next  morning,  after  practising  for  two  hours  with  sword 
and  pike,  Oswald  went  down  at  eight  o'clock  to  the  monastery 
and  was  conducted  to  friar  Roger's  cell.  The  latter  at  once 
began  his  instruction,  handing  him  a  piece  of  blackened  board 
and  a  bit  of  chalk. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  you  must  learn  to  read  and  write  together. 
There  are  twenty-six  letters,  and  of  each  there  is  a  big  one 
and  a  little  one.  The  big  ones  are  only  used  at  the  beginning 
of  a  sentence.  That  is  where,  if  you  were  talking,  you  would 
stop  to  take  breath  and  begin  afresh,  and  also  at  the  first 
letter  of  the  names  of  people  and  places.  The  first  letter  is 
'  A.'  There  it  is,  in  that  horn-book,  you  see.  It  looks  like 
two  men  or  two  trees  leaning  against  each  other  for  support, 
with  a  line  which  might  be  their  hands,  in  the  middle.  Now 
make  a  letter  like  that  on  your  board.  The  little  '  a,'  is  a 
small  circle  with  an  upright  with  a  tail  to  it ;  you  might  fancy 
it  a  fish  with  its  tail  turned  up.  Now  write  each  of  those 
twelve  times." 

So  he  continued  with  the  first  six  letters. 

"  That  will  be  as  much  as  you  will  remember  at  first,"  he 
said.  "  Now  we  will  begin  spelling  with  those  letters,  and  you 
will  see  how  they  are  used.  You  see  it  is  a  mixture  of  the 
sounds  of  the  two  :  '  b  a '  makes  ba,  and  'be'  be,  '  c  a  '  ca, 
'da'  da,  '  d  e  '  de,  and  so  on.     Now  we  will  work  it  out." 


46  BOTH  SIDES   THE   BORDER 

Oswald  was  intelligent,  and  anxious  to  learn.  He  had  been 
accustomed,  when  riding,  to  notice  every  irregularity  of  ground, 
every  rock  and  bush  that  might  serve  as  a  guide  if  lost  in  a 
fog,  and  he  very  quickly  took  in  the  instruction  given  him ; 
and  by  the  time  the  convent  bell  rung  to  dinner,  he  had  made 
a  considerable  progress  with  the  variations  that  could  be 
formed  with  the  six  letters  that  he  had  learned,  and  the  friar 
expressed  himself  as  highly  satisfied  with  him. 

"You  have  learned  as  much  in  one  morning  as  many  of  the 
boys  who  attend  schools  would  learn  in  a  month,"  he  said. 
"  If  you  go  on  like  this,  I  will  warrant  that  if  Percy  delays  his 
return  for  two  months,  you  will  know  as  much  as  many  who 
have  been  two  years  at  the  work.  I  have  always  said  that  it 
is  a  mistake  to  teach  children  young ;  their  minds  do  not  take 
in  what  you  say  to  them.  You  may  beat  it  into  them,  but 
they  get  it  only  by  rote,  and  painfully,  because  they  don't 
understand  how  one  thing  leads  to  another,  and  it  is  their 
memory  only,  and  not  their  minds  that  are  at  work." 

The  next  day  came  news  that  the  Scotch  had  crossed  the 
border,  and  there  was  great  excitement  in  the  castle ;  but  it 
was  soon  learned  that  the  invasion  was  not  on  a  great  scale, 
neither  the  Douglases  nor  the  Earl  of  March  having  taken 
part  in  it. 

"  There  is  no  fear  of  our  being  attacked  here,"  Alwyn  Forster 
said  to  Oswald.  "  The  sheriffs  of  the  county  will  call  out  their 
levies,  and  will  soon  make  head  against  them.  At  the  same 
time  we  shall  make  preparations  against  any  chance  of  their 
coming  hither." 

This  was  done.  Vast  quantities  of  arrows  were  prepared, 
stones  collected  and  carried  up  to  the  points  on  the  wall  most 
exposed  to  attack,  and  orders  sent  out  by  the  governor  of  the 
castle  in  the  Percys'  absence,  to  the  people  for  many  miles 
round,  that  on  the  approach  of  the  Scots  all  were  to  retire  to 


AT  ALNWICK  47 

refuge,  the  women  and  children  taking  to  the  hills,  while  the 
men  capable  of  bearing  arms  were  to  hasten  to  the  defence  of 
the  castle.  For  a  time  the  Scots  carried  all  before  them, 
wasting  and  devastating  the  country.  Oswald  heard  that 
they  had  captured  without  resistance  his  father's  hold.  He 
rejoiced  at  the  news,  for  he  feared  that,  not  knowing  the 
strength  of  the  invading  force,  resistance  might  have  been 
attempted,  in  which  case  all  in  the  hold  might  have  been  put 
to  the  sword.  He  had  no  doubt  now  that  his  father  and 
mother  had  retired  with  their  followers  to  the  hills,  as  they 
had  always  determined  to  do  in  case  of  an  invasion  by  a  force 
too  strong  to  resist. 

Had  the  Percys  been  at  home  they  might  have  held  out, 
confident  that  the  Scotch  would  be  attacked  before  they  could 
effect  its  capture,  but  as  all  the  northern  lords  with  their  re- 
tainers were  away  in  the  south  it  would  be  some  time  before  a 
force  could  be  collected  that  could  make  head  against  the  Scots. 
A  portion  of  the  Scottish  army  laid  siege  to  the  castle  of  Wark 
on  the  Tweed.  This  castle  had  always  played  a  conspicuous 
part  in  the  border  wars.  It  had  been  besieged  and  captured 
by  David  of  Scotland  in  the  reign  of  Stephen,  and  two  or 
three  years  later  was  again  besieged,  but  this  time  repulsed  all 
attacks.  David,  after  his  defeat  at  the  battle  of  the  Standard, 
resumed  the  siege.  It  again  repulsed  all  attacks,  but  at  last 
was  reduced  to  an  extremity  by  famine,  and  capitulated. 

The  castle  was  demolished  by  the  Scots,  but  was  rebuilt  by 
Henry  the  Second.  In  1215  it  was  again  besieged,  this  time 
by  King  John,  who  resented  the  defection  of  the  northern 
barons,  and  it  was  captured  and  again  destroyed.  In  13 18  it 
was  captured  and  destroyed  by  Robert  Bruce.  In  1341  it  was 
besieged  by  David  Bruce,  but  held  out  until  relieved  by  King 
Edward  himself.  In  1383  it  was  again  besieged  by  the  Scots 
and    part  of   its    fortifications   demolished.     On  the  present 


48  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

occasion  it  was  again  captured  and  razed  to  the  ground. 
Another  portion  of  the  Scottish  army,  plundering  and  burning, 
advanced  along  the  valley  of  the  Coquet.  As  they  approached, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  district  round  Alnwick  began  to  pour 
into  the  castle,  but  orders  were  issued  that  all  the  fighting  men 
should  join  the  force  of  Sir  Robert  Umfraville,  the  sheriff  of 
the  district,  who  was  gathering  a  force  to  give  the  Scots  battle. 

"  I  fear  that  there  is  small  chance  of  the  Scots  making  their 
way  hither,"  Oswald's  instructor  said  in  lugubrious  tones. 
"  Sir  Robert  is  a  stout  fighter,  and  the  Scots,  laden  as  they 
must  be  with  booty,  and  having  hitherto  met  with  no  resist- 
ance, will  be  careless  and  like  to  be  taken  by  surprise.  Me- 
thinks  the  abbot  ought  to  send  off  a  contingent  to  aid  Sir 
Robert." 

Oswald  laughed.  "  I  suppose  he  wants  to  keep  them  for 
more  urgent  work,  and  thinks  that  the  Church  should  only 
fight  when  in  desperate  straits.  However,  father,  you  may 
have  an  opportunity  yet,  for  we  cannot  regard  it  as  certain 
that  Sir  Robert  will  defeat  the  Scots." 

Three  days  later,  however,  the  news  arrived  that  Sir  Robert 
had  attacked  the  Scots  at  Fulhetlaw  and  utterly  defeated  them, 
taking  prisoner  Sir  Richard  Rutherford  and  his  five  sons, 
together  with  Sir  William  Stewart,  John  Turnbull,  a  noted 
border  reiver,  and  many  others,  and  that  those  who  had 
escaped  were  in  full  flight  for  the  border.  The  Scotch  incur- 
sion had  made  no  change  in  Oswald's  work.  He  continued 
to  study  hard  with  the  monk.  As  a  rule  he  fully  satisfied 
his  teacher,  but  at  times,  when  he  failed  to  name  the  letters 
required  to  make  up  a  certain  sound,  the  latter  lost  all  patience 
with  him  and  more  than  once  with  difficulty  restrained  himself 
from  striking  him.  Spelling  in  those  days,  however,  had  by 
no  means  crystallised  itself  into  any  definite  form,  and  there 
was  so  large  a  latitude  allowed  that  if  the  letters  used  gave 


AT   ALNWICK  49 

an  approximate  sound  to  the  word,  it  was  deemed  sufficient. 
The  consequence  was  that  Oswald's  education  progressed  at  a 
speed  that  would  in  these  more  rigid  days  be  deemed  impossible. 

He  was  intensely  interested  in  the  work,  and  even  his 
martial  exercises  were  for  the  time  secondary  to  it  in  his 
thoughts.  He  felt  so  deeply  grateful  to  his  instructor  that 
even  if  he  had  struck  him  he  would  have  cared  but  little.  In 
those  days  rough  knocks  were  readily  given,  and  the  idea  that 
there  was  anything  objectionable  in  a  boy  being  struck  had 
never  been  entertained  by  anyone.  Wives  were  beaten  not 
uncommonly,  servants  frequently,  and,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest,  corporal  punishment  was  regarded  as  the  only  way  to 
ensure  the  carrying  out  of  orders.  Oswald  was  slower  in 
learning  to  write  down  the  letters  than  he  was  to  read  them. 
His  hands  were  so  accustomed  to  the  rein,  the  bow,  and  the 
sword  that  they  bungled  over  the  work  of  forming  letters. 
Nevertheless  by  the  time  the  Percys  returned,  three  months 
and  a  half  after  his  arrival  at  the  castle,  he  could  both  read 
and  write  short  and  simple  words,  and  as  these  formed  a  large 
proportion  of  English  speech  at  the  time,  he  had  made  a  con- 
siderable step  in  the  path  of  learning,  and  the  monk  was  highly 
pleased  with  his  pupil. 

"  I  shall  not  be  able  to  come  to-morrow,  father,"  he  said  to 
the  monk  one  day.  "  The  earl  and  Sir  Henry  will  be  back  to- 
night, and  my  uncle  says  that  I  must  keep  near  him  to-morrow, 
so  that  if  opportunity  offers  he  may  present  me  to  the  knight." 

"  I  feared  it  would  come  to  that,"  the  monk  said.  "  I  wish 
they  had  all  stopped  away  another  three  or  four  months,  then 
you  would  have  got  over  ycygz  difficulty  of  piecing  together 
syllables  so  as  to  make  up  jong  word.  'T  is  a  thousand 
pities  that  you  should  stop  altogether,  just  when  you  are  get- 
ting on  so  well." 

"  I  will  come  as  often  as  I  can,  father,  if  you  will  let  me." 

4- 


50  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

"  No,  no,  lad ;  I  know  what  it  is  when  the  family  are  at 
home.  It  will  be,  '  Here,  Oswald,  ride  with  such  a  message  ; ' 
or  Hotspur  himself  may  be  going  out  with  a  train,  and  you 
will  have  to  accompany  him.  There  will  always  be  something. 
Indeed,  save  but  for  your  teaching,  it  is  high  time  that  the 
Percys  were  back  again,  for  there  has  already  been  a  great 
deal  of  hot  work  on  the  border,  and  report  says  that  the  Scots 
are  mustering  strongly,  and  that  there  is  going  to  be  a  great 
raid  into  Cumberland  ;  so  you  will  be  busy  and  so  shall  I. 
The  lay  brothers  have  made  but  a  poor  hand  of  it  while  I  have 
been  busy.  I  went  down  in  the  evening  yesterday  to  see  them 
drill,  and  it  was  as  much  as  I  could  do  to  prevent  myself  from 
falling  upon  them  and  giving  them  a  lesson  of  a  different  sort. 
As  it  was,  I  gave  it  to  their  instructor  heartily,  and  was  had 
up  before  the  abbot  on  his  complaint  this  morning,  and  am  to 
eat  Lenten  fare  for  the  next  ten  days,  which  accords  but  ill 
either  with  my  liking  or  needs." 

In  the  evening  the  court-yard  was  ablaze  with  torches,  as 
amid  the  cheers  of  the  garrison  the  Earl  of  Northumberland 
and  his  son  rode  in  with  a  strong  body  of  men-at-arms.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  following  with  which  they  had  met 
Henry  of  Lancaster  on  his  landing,  and  escorted  him  to  Lon- 
don, had  long  since  returned  to  their  homes,  being  released 
from  service  when  it  was  seen  that  no  opposition  was  to  be 
looked  for  from  the  adherents  of  Richard.  The  followings  of 
the  various  nobles  and  knights  of  the  northern  counties  had 
left  the  main  body  on  the  way  home,  and  Northumberland  had 
brought  with  him  to  Alnwick  only  the  men-at-arms  who  formed 
the  regular  force  retained  under  his  standard. 

Oswald  was  greatly  struck  with  the  splendid  appearance  and 
appointments  of  the  earl  and  the  knights  who  attended  him, 
and  with  the  martial  array  of  his  followers.  Hitherto  he  had 
seen  but  the  roughest  side  of  war,  the  arms  and  armour  carried 


AT  ALNWICK  51 

not  for  show  but  for  use,  and  valued  for  their  strength  without 
any  reference  to  their  appearance.  On  the  border  there  was 
not  the  smallest  attempt  at  uniformity  in  appearance,  polished 
armour  was  regarded  with  disfavour,  and  that  worn  was  of  the 
roughest  nature,  the  local  armourer's  only  object  being  to 
furnish  breast  and  back  pieces  that  would  resist  the  strongest 
spear-thrust.  Of  missiles  they  made  little  account,  for  the 
Scots  had  but  few  archers,  and  their  bows  were  so  inferior  in 
strength  to  those  carried  by  the  English  archers  that  armour 
strong  enough  to  resist  a  spear-thrust  was  amply  sufficient  to 
keep  out  a  Scottish  arrow. 

There  was  not,  even  in  the  array  of  the  Earl  of  Northum- 
berland's men-at-arms,  any  approach  to  the  uniformity  that 
now  prevails  among  bodies  of  soldiers.  The  helmets,  breast 
and  back  pieces,  were,  however,  of  similar  form,  as  the  men 
engaged  for  continued  service  were  furnished  with  armour  by 
the  earl ;  but  there  was  a  great  variety  in  the  garments  worn 
under  them,  these  being  of  all  colours,  according  to  the  fancy 
of  their  wearers.  All,  however,  carried  spears  of  the  same 
length,  while  some  had  swords,  and  others  heavy  axes  at  their 
girdles.  The  helmets  and  armour  were  all  brightly  polished, 
and  as  the  lights  of  the  torches  flashed  from  them  and  from 
the  spear-heads,  Oswald  for  the  first  time  witnessed  something 
of  the  pomp  of  war.  His  uncle,  as  captain  of  the  men-at-arms 
left  in  the  castle,  was  invited  to  the  banquet  held  after  the 
arrival  of  the  force.  Oswald,  therefore,  was  free  to  wander 
about  among  the  soldiers,  listening  to  their  talk  of  what  they 
had  seen  in  London,  and  of  the  entertainments  there  in 
honour  of  the  new  king,  exciting  thereby  no  small  amount  of 
envy  among  those  who  had  been  left  behind  in  garrison. 
Oswald  already  knew  that  the  earl  had  been  appointed  Con- 
stable of  England  for  life,  and  now  heard  that  the  lordship  of 
the  Isle  of  Man  had  since  been  conferred  on  him. 


52  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

CHAPTER  IV 

AN  UNEQUAL  JOUST 

"T  7*OU  must  don  your  best  costume  to-morrow,  Oswald,"  his 
JL  uncle  said,  when  he  returned  from  the  banquet.  "  Sir 
Henry  Percy's  first  question,  after  asking  as  to  the  health  of 
the  garrison,  was,  '  Has  this  nephew  of  yours,  of  whom  you 
were  speaking  to  me,  come  yet  ?  '  I  told  him  that  you  had 
been  here  well-nigh  four  months,  that  you  had  been  practising 
in  arms  with  my  best  swordsmen,  who  spoke  highly  of  you, 
and  that  the  whole  of  your  spare  time  had  been  spent  at  the 
monastery,  where  you  had  been  studying  to  acquire  the  art  of 
reading  and  writing,  thinking  that  such  knowledge  must  be 
useful  to  you  in  his  service.  I  told  him  that  brother  Roger 
had  reported  that  you  had  shown  marvellous  sharpness  there, 
and  could  already  read  from  a  missal,  barring  only  some  of  the 
long  words. 

" '  Oh,  he  had  the  fighting  monk  for  his  master  !  '  Sir  Henry 
said  laughing.  '  Truly  he  must  have  been  a  good  pupil  if  he 
has  come  out  of  it  without  having  his  head  broken  a  dozen 
times.  The  friar  is  a  thorn  in  the  abbot's  flesh,  and  more  than 
once  I  have  had  to  beg  him  off  or  he  would  have  been  sent  to 
the  monastery  of  St.  John,  which  is  a  place  of  punishment  for 
refractory  monks.  But  in  truth  he  is  an  honest  fellow,  though 
he  has  mistaken  his  vocation.  He  is  a  valiant  man-at-arms, 
and  the  abbot's  contingent  would  be  of  small  value  without  him. 
Well,  I  will  see  your  nephew  in  the  morning.  His  perseverance 
in  learning,  and  his  quickness  in  acquiring  it,  show  him  to  be  a 
youth  of  good  parts  and  intelligent,  but  until  I  see  him  I  can- 
not say  what  I  will  make  of  him,'  " 


AN   UNEQUAL  JOUST  53 

Accordingly,  the  next  morning  the  lad  accompanied  his 
uncle  to  Sir  Henry's  private  apartment,  and  found  the  knight 
alone.  Sir  Henry,  Lord  Percy,  was  now  about  forty  years  old. 
He  had  received  the  order  of  knighthood  at  the  coronation  of 
Richard  II.,  when  his  father  was  created  earl,  and  nine  years 
later  he  was  made  governor  of  Berwick  and  Warden  of  the 
Marches,  in  which  office  he  displayed  such  activity  in  following 
up  and  punishing  raiders  that  the  Scots  gave  him  the  name  of 
Hotspur.  He  was  then  sent  to  Calais,  where  he  showed  great 
valour.  Two  years  later  he  was  made  Knight  pf  the  Garter, 
and  was  then  appointed  to  command  a  fleet  sent  out  to  repel  a 
threatened  invasion  by  the  French.  Here  he  gained  so  great  a 
success  that  he  came  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  first  captains 
of  the  age. 

At  Otterburn  his  impetuosity  cost  him  his  freedom,  for, 
pressing  forward  into  the  midst  of  the  Scotch  army,  he  and  his 
brother  Ralph  were  taken  prisoners  and  carried  into  Scot- 
land. He  had  just  been  appointed  by  King  Henry  sheriff  of 
Northumberland,  and  governor  of  Berwick  and  Roxburgh,  and 
received  other  marks  of  royal  favour.  Although  of  no  remark- 
able height,  his  broad  shoulders  and  long  sinewy  arms  testified 
to  his  remarkable  personal  strength.  His  face  was  pleasant 
and  open,  and  showed  but  small  sign  of  his  impetuous  and  ■ 
fiery  disposition. 

"So  this  is  the  young  springal,"  he  said  with  a  smile,  as 
with  a  quick  glance  he  took  in  every  detail  of  Oswald's  figure 
and  appearance.  "  By  my  troth  you  have  not  overpraised  him. 
He  bears  himself  well,  and  is  like  to  be  a  stout  fighter  when 
he  comes  to  his  full  strength  ;  indeed,  as  the  son  of  John 
Forster  of  Yardhope,  and  as  your  nephew,  good  Alwyn,  he 
could  scarce  be  otherwise,  although  I  have  not  heard  that 
either  his  father  or  you  ever  showed  any  disposition  for 
letters." 


54  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

"  No,  indeed,  Sir  Henry ;  nor  have  we,  as  far  as  I  have  ever 
seen,  been  any  the  worse  for  our  lack  of  knowledge  on  that 
head  ;  but  with  the  lad  here  it  is  different.  Under  your  good 
patronage  he  may  well  hope  to  attain,  by  good  conduct  and 
valour,  a  promotion  where  book-learning  may  be  of  use  to  him, 
and  therefore,  when  he  expressed  a  desire  to  learn,  I  did  my 
best  to  favour  his  design." 

"  And  you  did  well,  Alwyn.  And  since  he  has  gained  so 
much  in  so  short  a  time,  it  were  a  pity  he  should  not  follow  it 
up ;  and  he  shall,  if  it  likes  him,  so  long  as  he  is  in  this  castle, 
have  two  hours  every  morning  in  which  he  can  visit  the  fight- 
ing monk,  until  he  can  read  and  write  freely.  Now,  young 
sir,  the  question  is,  how  can  we  best  employ  you.  You  are  too 
old  for  a  lady's  bower,  but  not  old  enough  yet  for  an  esquire." 

"  Nor  could  I  aspire  to  such  a  position,  my  lord,  until  I  have 
proved  myself  worthy  of  it.  My  uncle  told  me  that  he  had 
suggested  that  I  might  be  useful  as  a  bearer  of  messages  and 
orders,  and  as  I  know  every  foot  of  the  border  from  near  Berwick 
to  Cumberland,  methinks  that  I  might  serve  you  in  that  way. 
I  ride  lightly,  know  every  morass  and  swamp,  and  every  road 
through  the  fells,  and  have  at  times,  when  there  was  peace, 
crossed  the  Cheviots  by  several  of  the  passes  to  pay  visits  to 
my  mother's  sister,  who  is  married  to  one  of  the  Armstrongs 
near  Jedburgh.  If  your  lordship  will  deign  to  employ  me  in 
such  service  I  can  promise  to  do  so  safely  and  to  justify  my 
uncle's  recommendation,  and  shall  be  ready  at  all  times  to  risk 
my  life  in  carrying  out  your  orders." 

"  Well  spoken,  lad.  I  like  the  tone  of  your  voice  and  your 
manner  of  speech.  They  are  such  as  will  do  no  discredit  to  my 
household,  and  I  hereby  appoint  you  to  it ;  further  matters  I 
will  discuss  with  your  uncle." 

Oswald  expressed  his  thanks  in  suitable  terms,  and  then, 
bowing  deeply,  retired. 


AN  UNEQUAL  JOUST  55 

u  A  very  proper  lad,  Alwyn.  I  would  have  done  much  for 
you,  old  friend,  and  would  have  taken  him  in  some  capacity, 
whatever  he  might  have  turned  out ;  but,  frankly,  I  doubted 
whether  John  Forster,  valiant  moss-trooper  as  he  is,  would  have 
been  like  to  have  had  a  son  whom  I  could  enroll  in  my  house- 
hold, where  the  pages  and  esquires  are  all  sons  of  knights  and 
men  of  quality.  It  is  true  that  his  father  might  have  been  a 
knight  had  he  chosen,  since  the  earl  offered  him  that  honour 
after  Otterburn,  for  three  times  he  charged  at  the  head  of  a 
handful  of  his  own  men  right  into  the  heart  of  the  Scottish 
army,  to  try  and  rescue  me ;  but  he  has  always  kept  aloof  in 
his  own  hold,  going  his  own  way  and  fighting  for  his  own 
hand,  and  never  once  that  I  can  recall  has  he  paid  a  visit  to  us 
here  or  at  our  other  seats.  I  feared  that  under  such  a  training 
as  he  would  be  likely  to  have  the  lad  would  have  been  but  a 
rough  diamond.  However,  from  his  appearance  and  bearing 
he  might  well  have  come  of  a  noble  family." 

"  'T  is  his  mother's  doing,  methinks,  Sir  Henry.  She  is  of 
gentle  birth.  Her  father  was  Sir  Walter  Gillespie.  He  was 
killed  by  the  Scots  when  she  was  but  a  girl,  or  methinks  he 
would  scarcely  have  given  her  in  marriage  to  my  brother  John. 
She  went  with  a  sister  to  live  with  an  old  aunt,  who  let  the 
girls  have  their  way  without  murmur,  and  seeing  that  they  had 
no  dowry,  for  their  father  was  but  a  poor  knight,  there  were 
not  many  claimants  for  their  hands ;  and  when  she  chose  John 
Forster,  and  her  sister  Adam  Armstrong,  she  did  not  say  them 
nay.  She  has  made  a  good  wife  to  him,  though  she  must  have 
had  many  an  anxious  hour,  and  doubtless  it  is  her  influence 
that  has  made  the  lad  what  he  is." 

"  How  think  you  I  had  best  bestow  him,  among  the  pages 
or  the  esquires?  " 

"  I  should  say,  Sir  Henry,  as  you  are  good  enough  to  ask 
my  opinion,  that  it  were  best  among  the  esquires.     It  would 


56  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

be  like  putting  a  hunting  dog  among  a  lady's  pets  to  put  him 
with  the  pages.  Moreover,  boys  think  more  of  birth  than  men 
do ;  the  latter  judge  by  merit,  and  when  they  see  that  the  lad 
has  something  in  him,  would  take  to  him  ;  whereas  were  he 
with  the  pages  there  might  be  quarrels,  and  he  might  fall  into 
disgrace." 

"  I  think  that  you  are  right,  Alwyn.  He  might  get  a  buffet 
or  two  from  the  esquires,  but  he  will  be  none  the  worse  for 
that ;  while  with  the  pages  it  might  be  bickering  and  ill-will. 
He  shall  take  his  chance  with  the  squires.  Bring  him  to  me 
at  twelve  o'clock  and  I  will  myself  present  him  to  them  with 
such  words  as  may  gain  their  good-will,  and  make  the  way  as 
easy  as  may  be  for  him." 

Accordingly  at  twelve  o'clock  Oswald  went  to  Hotspur's 
room,  and  was  taken  by  him  to  the  hall  where  the  esquires, 
six  in  number,  had  just  finished  a  meal.  They  varied  in  age 
from  eighteen  to  forty.     They  all  rose  as  their  lord  entered. 

"  I  wish  to  present  to  you  this  young  gentleman,  my  friends. 
He  is  the  son  of  John  Forster  of  Yardhope,  whose  name  is 
familiar  to  you  all  as  one  of  the  most  valiant  of  the  defenders 
of  the  border  against  the  Scottish  incursions.  None  distin- 
guished themselves  more  at  the  battle  of  Otterburn,  where  he 
performed  feats  of  prodigious  valour  in  his  endeavours  to 
rescue  me  and  my  brother  from  the  hands  of  the  Scots.  The 
earl  my  father  offered  him  knighthood,  but  he  said  bluntly 
that  he  preferred  remaining,  like  his  father,  plain  John  Forster 
of  Yardhope.  The  lad's  mother  is  a  daughter  of  Sir  Walter 
Gillespie,  and  he  is  nephew  of  Alwyn,  captain  of  the  men-at- 
arms  here.  He  knows  every  foot  of  the  border,  its  morasses, 
fells,  and  passes,  and  will  prove  a  valuable  messenger  when  I 
have  occasion  to  send  orders  to  the  border  knights  and  yeo- 
men. I  have  attached  him  to  my  household.  You  will  find 
him  intelligent  and  active.     He  comes  of  a  fighting  stock,  and 


AN   UNEQUAL  JOUST  57 

will,  I  foresee,  do  no  discredit  to  them  in  the  future.  I  hesi- 
tated whether  I  should  place  him  with  the  pages  or  with  you, 
and  have  decided  that,  with  your  good-will,  he  will  be  far 
more  comfortable  in  your  society,  if  you  consent  to  receive 
him." 

"  We  will  do  so  willingly  on  such  recommendation,"  the 
senior  of  the  esquires  said,  "  as  well  as  for  the  sake  of  his 
brave  uncle,  whom  we  all  respect  and  like,  and  of  his  valiant 
father.  The  addition  of  young  blood  to  our  party  will  indeed 
not  be  unwelcome,  and  while  perchance  he  may  learn  some- 
thing from  us  he  will  assuredly  be  able  to  tell  us  much  that  is 
new  of  the  doings  on  the  border,  of  which  nothing  but  vague 
reports  have  reached  our  ears." 

"  Thanks,  Allonby,"  Hotspur  said.  "  I  expected  nothing  less 
from  you.  He  will,  of  course,  practise  at  arms  regularly  when 
not  occupied  in  carrying  messages,  and  you  will  be  surprised 
to  hear  that  he  will  go  for  two  hours  daily  to  the  monastery, 
where  he  has  for  the  last  three  months  been  learning  reading 
and  writing  at  the  hands  of  brother  Roger,  the  fighting  monk. 
It  is  his  own  desire,  and  a  laudable  one,  and  when  I  say  that 
he  has  succeeded  in  giving  brother  Roger  satisfaction  you  may 
well  imagine  that  he  must  have  made  great  progress." 

A  smile  ran  round  the  faces  of  the  esquires,  for  brother 
Roger's  pugnacious  instincts  were  widely  known. 

"  Truly,  Sir  Henry,  if  brother  Roger  did  not  lose  patience 
with  him,  it  would  be  hard  indeed  if  we  could  not  get  on  with 
him,  and  in  truth  this  desire  to  improve  himself  speaks  well 
for  the  lad's  disposition." 

When  Hotspur  left,  Allonby  said,  "Take  a  seat,  Master 
Oswald.     But  first,  have  you  dined  ?  " 

"  I  took  my  meal  an  hour  since  with  my  uncle,"  Oswald 
replied. 

"  Ay,  I  remember  that  your  uncle  sticks  to  the  old  hours. 


58  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

Tell  us,  were  you  with  your  father  in  that  foray  he  headed  to 
carry  off  some  cattle  that  had  been  lifted  by  the  Bairds?  We 
heard  a  report  of  it  last  night." 

"  I  was  not  with  him,  to  my  great  disappointment,  for  he 
said  that  another  year  must  pass  before  I  should  be  fit  to  hold 
my  own  in  a  fray.  The  affair  was  a  somewhat  hot  one.  Three 
of  my  father's  men  were  killed,  and  some  ten  or  twelve  of 
those  under  other  leaders,  and  my  father  and  several  of  the 
band  were  wounded,  some  very  sorely.  It  happened  thus." 
And  he  then  told  the  details  of  the  affair. 

"  It  might  well  have  been  worse,"  Allonby  said,  "  for,  had 
the  Bairds  had  time  to  assemble  it  would  have  gone  hardly 
with  your  father's  party,  especially  as  there  is,  as  I  have  heard, 
a  blood  feud  between  him  and  them." 

"  They  have  scored  the  last  success,"  Oswald  said,  "  seeing 
that  they  accompanied  Sir  Richard  Rutherford  in  his  raid  nigh 
two  months  ago ;  and,  as  I  hear,  while  the  rest  came  on  harry- 
ing and  plundering  Coquetdale,  the  Bairds  and  their  gathering 
remained  at  our  hold,  which  they  found  deserted,  for  indeed 
my  father  could  not  hope  to  defend  it  successfully  against  so 
large  a  force,  and  there  they  employed  themselves  in  demol- 
ishing the  outer  wall  and  much  of  the  hold  itself,  and  would 
have  completed  their  task  had  it  not  been  for  the  defeat  in- 
flicted upon  the  rest  of  the  Scots  by  Sir  Robert  Umfraville, 
when  they  were  forced  to  hasten  back  across  the  border.  My 
father  sent  me  a  message  afterwards,  saying  that  he  and  my 
mother  with  their  followers  had  been  forced  to  take  to  the 
fells,  and  that  on  their  return  they  found  the  place  well-nigh 
destroyed,  but  that  he  was  going  to  set  to  work  to  rebuild  it 
as  before,  and  that  he  hoped  some  time  to  demolish  the  Bairds' 
hold  in  like  fashion.  It  will  be  some  time  before  the  place  is 
restored,  for,  my  father's  means  being  limited,  he  and  his  re- 
tainers would  have  to  turn  masons ;  but  as  the  materials  were 


AN   UNEQUAL   JOUST  59 

there  he  doubted  not  that  in  time  they  would  make  a  good 
job  of  it." 

"  Truly  it  is  a  hard  life  on  the  border,"  the  squire  said,  "  and 
it  is  wonderful  that  any  can  be  found  willing  to  live  within 
reach  of  the  Scotch  raiders.  I  myself  have  done  a  fair  share 
of  fighting  under  our  lord's  banner,  but  to  pass  my  life  never 
knowing  whether  I  may  not  awake  to  find  the  house  assailed 
would  be  worse  than  the  hardest  service  against  an  open  foe. 
Now,  Master  Oswald,  we  will  go  down  to  the  court-yard  and  see 
what  your  instructors  have  done  for  you  in  the  matter  of  arms. 
With  whom  have  you  been  practising  since  you  came  here?  " 

"Principally  with  Godfrey  Harpent,  Dick  Bamborough,  and 
William  Anell,  but  I  have  had  a  turn  with  a  great  many  of  the 
other  men-at-arms." 

"  The  three  men  you  name  are  all  stout  fellows  and  good 
swordsmen.  As  a  borderer  I  suppose  that  you  have  practised 
with  the  lance  ?  " 

"  We  call  it  by  no  such  knightly  term.  With  us  it  is  a  spear 
and  nought  else,  but  all  borderers  carry  it  both  for  fighting 
and  for  pricking  up  cattle,  and  from  the  time  that  I  could  sit 
a  horse  I  have  always  practised  for  a  while  every  day  with 
some  of  my  father's  troopers,  or  with  himself,  using  blunt 
weapons  whitened  with  chalk  so  as  to  show  where  the  hits  fell. 
Although  in  a  charge  upon  footmen  our  border  spearmen  would 
couch  their  weapons  and  ride  straight  at  their  foe,  in  skir- 
mishes, where  each  can  single  out  an  enemy  and  there  is  a  series 
of  single  combats,  they  do  not  so  fight,  but  circle  round  each 
other,  trusting  to  the  agility  of  their  horses  to  avoid  a  thrust 
and  to  deliver  one  when  there  is  an  opening.  Our  spears  are 
nothing  like  so  heavy  as  the  knightly  lances,  and  we  thrust 
with  them  as  with  the  point  of  a  sword." 

"  But  in  that  way  you  can  hardly  penetrate  armour,"  one  of 
the  other  esquires  said. 


60  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  No,  it  is  only  in  a  downright  charge  that  we  try  to  do  so. 
When  we  are  fighting  as  I  speak  of,  we  thrust  at  the  face,  at 
the  arm-pit,  the  joints  of  the  armour,  which  in  truth  seldom 
fits  closely,  or  below  the  breastplate.  The  Scotch  use  even  less 
armour  than  do  our  borderers,  their  breast-pieces  being  smaller, 
and  they  seldom  wear  back-pieces.  It  is  a  question  chiefly  of 
the  activity  of  the  horses  as  of  the  skill  of  their  riders,  and  our 
little  moor  horses  are  as  active  as  young  goats ;  and  although 
neither  horse  nor  rider  can  stand  a  charge  of  a  heavily-armed 
knight  or  squire,  methinks  that  if  one  of  our  troopers  brought 
him  to  a  stand  he  would  get  the  better  of  him,  save  if  the 
knight  took  to  mace  or  battle-axe." 

"  Have  you  your  horse  with  you,  Oswald?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  in  the  stable.  I  have  gone  out  with  it  every 
morning  as  soon  as  the  castle  gates  were  opened,  and  have 
ridden  for  a  couple  of  hours  before  I  began  my  exercises." 

"  Do  you  take  him  in  hand  first,  Marsden,  "  Allonby  said 
to  one  of  the  younger  esquires,  a  young  man  of  two  or  three 
and  twenty.  Light  steel  caps  with  cheeks,  gorgets,  shoulder 
and  arm  pieces,  and  padded  leathern  jerkins  were  put  on,  and 
then  with  blunted  swords  they  took  their  places  facing  each 
other.  The  squire  took  up  a  position  of  easy  confidence.  He 
was  a  good  swordsman,  and  good-naturedly  determined  to  treat 
the  lad  easily,  and  to  play  with  him  for  a  time  before  scoring 
his  first  hit.  He  soon,  however,  found  that  the  game  was  not 
to  be  conducted  on  the  lines  that  he  had  laid  down.  Oswald, 
after  waiting  for  a  minute  or  two,  finding  his  opponent  did  not 
take  the  offensive,  did  so  himself,  and  for  a  time  Marsden  had 
all  his  work  to  do  to  defend  himself.  Several  times,  indeed,  it 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  he  guarded  his  head ;  the 
activity  of  his  assailant  almost  bewildered  him,  as  he  continually 
shifted  his  position,  and  with  cat-like  springs  leapt  in  and  dealt 
a  blow,  leaping  back  again  before  his  opponent's  arm  had  time 
to  fall. 


AN   UNEQUAL  JOUST  61 

Finding  at  last  that,  quick  as  he  might  be,  Marsden's  blade 
always  met  his  own,  Oswald  relaxed  his  efforts,  as  he  was  grow- 
ing fatigued,  and  as  he  did  so  Marsden  took  the  offensive, 
pressing  him  backwards  foot  by  foot.  Every  time,  however, 
that  he  found  himself  approaching  a  barrier  or  othei»  obstacle 
that  would  prevent  his  further  retreat,  Oswald  with  a  couple 
of  springs  managed  to  shift  his  ground.  When  he  saw  that 
Marsden  was  growing  breathless  from  his  exertions,  he  again 
took  the  offensive,  and  at  last  landed  a  blow  fairly  on  his  op- 
ponent's helm. 

"By  my  faith,"  the  squire  said,  with  a  laugh  that  had  never- 
theless a  little  mortification  in  it,  "  I  would  as  soon  fight  with 
a  wild-cat,  and  yet  your  breath  scarce  comes  fast,  while  I  have 
not  as  much  left  in  me  as  would  fill  an  egg-shell." 

"  It  was  an  excellent  display,"  Allonby  said.  "  Truly,  lad, 
your  activity  is  wonderful,  and  you  might  well  puzzle  the 
oldest  swordsman  by  such  tactics.  Marsden  did  exceedingly 
well  too.  Many  times  I  thought  that  your  sword  would  have 
gone  home,  but  up  to  the  last  his  guard  was  always  ready  in 
time.  As  for  yourself,  we  had  scarce  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
how  your  sword  would  guard  your  head,  for  you  trusted  always 
to  your  legs  rather  than  your  arms.  Well,  lad,  you  will  do. 
Your  arm  is  like  iron,  or  it  would  have  tired  long  before  with 
that  sword,  which  is  a  little  over-heavy  for  you. 

"  As  to  your  wind,  you  would  tire  out  the  stoutest  swords- 
man in  the  Percys'  train.  I  do  not  say  that  in  the  press 
of  a  battle,  where  your  activity  would  count  for  little,  a  good 
man-at-arms  would  not  get  the  better  of  you,  but  in  a  single 
combat  with  plenty  of  room  it  would  be  a  good  man  indeed 
who  would  tackle  you,  especially  were  he  clad  in  armour  and 
you  fighting  without  it.  His  only  chance  would  be  to  get  in 
one  downright  blow  that  would  break  down  your  guard.  As 
Marsden  says,  you  fight  like  a  wild-cat  rather  than  as  a  man-at- 


62  BOTH  SIDES  THE   BORDER 

arms,  but  as  the  time  may  come  when  you  will  ride  in  heavy 
armour,  and  so  lose  the  advantage  of  your  agility,  you  had 
best  continue  to  practise  regularly  with  us  and  the  men-at- 
arms,  and  learn  to  fight  in  the  fashion  that  would  be  needed 
were  you  engaged  in  a  pitched  battle  when  on  horseback  and 
in  armour." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  indeed  to  do  so,"  Oswald  said  modestly. 
"  I  know  that  I  am  very  ignorant  of  real  swordsmanship,  and 
the  men-at-arms  have  me  quite  at  their  mercy  when  they  insist 
upon  my  not  shifting  my  ground.  At  home  I  have  only 
practised  with  my  father's  troopers,  and  we  always  fight  on 
foot  and  with  stout  sticks  instead  of  swords,  and  without 
defences  save  our  head-pieces,  but  fighting  in  knightly  fashion 
I  knew  nothing  of  until  I  came  here." 

"  You  will  soon  acquire  that,  lad  ;  with  your  strength  of  arm, 
length  of  wind,  quickness  of  eye,  and  activity,  you  will  make  a 
famous  swordsman  in  time.     Ah  !  here  is  Sir  Henry." 

"Have  you  been  trying  the  lad's  mettle?  "  Hotspur  asked,  as 
he  saw  Oswald  in  the  act  of  taking  off  his  steel  cap.  Marsden 
had  already  done  so. 

"  That  have  we,  Sir  Henry,  and  find  it  as  of  proof.  Mars- 
den here,  who  is  no  mean  blade,  has  taken  him  in  hand,  and 
the  lad  has  more  than  held  his  own  against  him,  not  so  much 
by  swordsmanship  as  by  activity  and  wind.  It  was  a  curious 
contest.  Marsden  compared  Oswald  to  a  wild-cat,  and  the 
comparison  was  not  an  ill  one,  for  indeed  his  springs  and  leaps 
were  so  rapid  and  sudden  that  it  was  difficult  to  follow  him, 
and  the  fight  was  like  one  between  such  an  animal  and  a 
hound.  Marsden  defended  himself  well  against  all  his  at- 
tacks until  his  breath  failed  him,  and  he  was  dealt  a  down- 
right blow  on  his  helm,  on  which  I  see  it  has  made  a  shrewd 
dint.  As  for  his  blows,  they  fell  upon  air,  for  the  lad  was 
ever  out  of  reach  before  the  ripostes  came.     In  his  own  style 


AN   UNEQUAL  JOUST  63 

of  fighting  I  would  wager  on  him  against  any  man-at-arms  in 
the  castle." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  Hotspur  said.  "  I  shall  feel  the  less 
scruple  in  sending  him  on  missions  which  are  not  without 
danger.  He  will  need  training  to  fit  him  for  combat  in  the 
ranks.  No  doubt  he  has  had  no  opportunity  for  such  teaching, 
and  would  go  down  before  a  heavy-armed  man  with  a  lance 
like  a  blade  of  grass  before  a  millstone." 

"  He  thinks  not,  Sir  Henry,  at  least  not  in  a  single  combat, 
for  by  his  accounts  his  horse  is  as  nimble  as  himself;  but  of 
course  in  charges  he  and  his  horse  would  be  rolled  over,  as 
you  say." 

"  He  thinks  not  ?  Oh,  well,  we  will  try  him  !  I  have  an 
hour  to  spare.  Do  you  put  on  a  suit  of  full  armour,  Sinclair, 
and  we  will  ride  out  to  the  course  beyond  the  castle.  What 
will  you  put  on,  lad?" 

"  I  will  put  on  only  breast-piece  and  steel  cap ;  but  I  only 
said  I  should  have  a  chance  against  a  lance,  Sir  Henry.  I  do 
not  pretend  that  I  could  stand  against  any  man-at-arms  armed 
with  sword  and  mace,  but  only  that  I  thought  that  with  my 
horse  I  could  evade  the  shock  of  a  fully-accoutred  man,  and 
then  harass  and  maybe  wound  him  with  my  spear." 

"  Well,  we  will  try,  lad.  Put  on  what  you  will  and  get  your 
horse  saddled.  It  will  be  rare  amusement  to  see  so  unequal 
a  course.     We  shall  be  ready  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

Oswald  went  up  to  his  uncle  and  told  him  what  was  pro- 
posed. Alwyn,  who  had  witnessed  his  exercises  with  the 
rough-riders  of  his  father,  smiled  grimly.  "  If  you  can  evade 
his  first  charge,  which  I  doubt  not  that  you  can,  you  will  have 
him  at  your  mercy  with  your  light  spear  against  his  lance,  and 
your  moor  horse  against  his  charger ;  but  put  on  the  heaviest 
of  your  two  steel  caps,  and  strong  shoulder-pieces,  't  is  like 
enough  that  in  his  temper  he  may  throw  away  his  lance  and 


G4  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

betake  him  to  his  sword.  I  will  demand  that  he  carries 
neither  mace  nor  battle-axe,  and  that  you  should  only  carry 
sword  and  spear.  Your  horse's  nimbleness  may  keep  you  out 
of  harm,  which  is  as  much  as  you  can  expect  or  hope  for. 
Put  on  a  light  breast-plate  too,  for  in  spite  of  the  wooden 
shield  to  his  lance-head,  he  may  hurt  you  sorely  if  he  does 
chance  to  strike  you." 

Oswald  saw  that  his  horse  was  carefully  saddled.  He  pro- 
cured from  his  uncle  a  piece  of  cloth,  and,  removing  the  spear- 
head, wrapped  this  round  the  head  of  the  shaft  until  it  formed 
a  ball  the  size  of  his  fist.  This  he  whitened  thickly  with 
chalk.  In  a  few  minutes  Sinclair,  who  was  the  heaviest  and 
strongest  of  the  esquires,  rode  out  into  the  court-yard  in  full 
armour.  Sir  Henry,  with  his  own  esquires  and  several  of  the 
gentlemen  of  the  earl's  household,  came  down,  and  Hotspur 
laughed  at  the  contrast  presented  by  the  two  combatants  — 
the  one  a  mass  of  steel,  with  shield  and  lance,  on  a  war-horse 
fully  caparisoned,  the  other  a  slight,  active-looking  figure,  with 
but  little  defensive  armour,  on  a  rough  pony  which  had 
scarce  an  ounce  of  superfluous  flesh. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  we  may  be  engaged  in  war- 
fare with  the  Scots  before  long,  and  you  will  here  have  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  nature  of  border  fighting.  The 
combat  may  seem  to  you  ridiculously  unequal,  but  I  know  the 
moss-trooper,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  in  a  single  combat  like 
this,  activity  goes  far  to  counterbalance  weight  and  armour. 
You  remember  how  Robert  Bruce,  before  Bannockburn, 
mounted  on  but  a  pony,  struck  down  Sir  Robert  Bohun,  a 
good  knight  and  a  powerful   one." 

As  the  party  went  out  through  the  gates  to  the  tilting-ground 
outside  the  walls,  the  men-at-arms,  seeing  that  something 
unusual  was  going  to  take  place,  crowded  up  to  the  battle- 
ments looking  down  on  the  ground. 


AN   UNEQUAL   JOUST  65 

"Now,  gentlemen,"  Percy  said,  "you  will  take  your  places 
at  opposite  ends  of  the  field,  and  when  I  drop  my  scarf  you 
will  charge.  It  is  understood  that  you  need  not  necessarily 
ride  straight  at  each  other,  but  that  it  is  free  to  each  of  you 
to  do  the  best  he  can  to  overthrow  his  opponent." 

As  he  gave  the  signal  the  two  riders  dashed  at  full  speed 
at  each  other,  and  for  a  moment  the  spectators  thought  that 
Oswald  was  going  to  be  mad  enough  to  meet  his  opponent  in 
full  course.  When,  however,  the  horses  were  within  a  length 
of  each  other  the  rough  pony  swerved  aside  with  a  spring  like 
that  of  a  deer,  and  wheeling  round  instantly,  Oswald  followed 
his  opponent.  The  latter  tried  to  wheel  his  charger,  but  as 
he  did  so,  Oswald's  spear  struck  him  in  the  vizor,  leaving  a 
white  mark  on  each  side  of  the  slit,  and  then  he  too  wheeled 
his  horse,  maintaining  his  position  on  the  left  hand,  but  some- 
what in  rear  of  his  opponent,  who  was  thereby  wholly  unable 
to  use  his  lance,  while  Oswald  marked  the  junction  of  gorget 
and  helmet  with  several  white  circles.  Furious  at  finding 
himself  incapable  of  either  defending  himself  or  of  striking  a 
blow,  the  squire  threw  away  his  lance  and  drew  his  sword. 

Hotspur  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  A  breach  of  the 
rules  !  a  breach  of  the  rules  !  the  combat  is  at  an  end."  But 
his  words  were  unheard  in  the  helmet.  Making  his  horse 
wheel  round  on  his  hind-legs,  Sinclair  rode  at  Oswald  with 
uplifted  sword.  The  latter  again  couched  his  spear  under  his 
arm,  and  touching  his  horse  with  his  spur,  the  animal  sprung 
forward,  and  before  the  sword  could  fall,  the  point  of  the 
spear  caught  the  squire  under  the  arm-pit  and  hurled  him 
sideways  from  his  saddle.  Hotspur  and  those  round  him  ran 
forward.  Sinclair  lay  without  moving,  stunned  by  the  force 
with  which  he  had  fallen.  Oswald  had  already  leapt  from  his 
horse  and  raised  Sinclair's  head  and  began  to  unlace  the  fast- 
enings of  his  helmet.     Hotspur's  face  was  flushed  with  anger. 


66  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"Do  not  upbraid  him,  my  lord,  I  pray  you,"  Oswald  said. 
"  He  could  scarce  have  avoided  breaking  the  conditions,  help- 
less as  he  felt  himself;  and  he  could  not  have  heard  your 
voice,  which  would  be  lost  in  his  helmet.  I  pray  you  be  not 
angered  with  him." 

Hotspur's  face  cleared.  "  At  your  request  I  will  not,  lad," 
he  said ;  "  and,  indeed,  he  has  been  punished  sufficiently." 

By  the  time  that  the  helmet  was  removed,  one  of  the  soldiers 
from  the  battlements  ran  out  from  the  castle  with  a  ewer  of 
water ;  this  was  dashed  into  the  squire's  face.  He  presently 
opened  his  eyes.  A  heavy  fall  was  thought  but  little  of  in 
those  days,  and  as  Sinclair  was  raised  to  his  feet  and  looked 
round  in  bewilderment  at  those  who  were  standing  round  him, 
Hotspur  said  good-temperedly,  "Well,  Master  Sinclair,  the 
lad  has  given  us  all  a  lesson  that  may  be  useful  to  us.  I  would 
scarce  have  believed  it  if  I  had  not  seen  it,  that  a  stout  soldier 
in  full  armour  should  have  been  worsted  by  a  lad  on  a  rough 
pony,  but  I  see  now  that  the  advantage  is  all  on  the  latter' s 
side  in  a  combat  like  this,  with  plenty  of  room  to  wheel  his 
horse. 

"Why,  he  would  have  slain  you  a  dozen  times,  Sinclair. 
Look  at  your  vizor.  That  white  mark  is  equal  on  both  sides 
of  the  slit,  and  had  there  been  a  spear-head  on  the  shaft,  it 
would  have  pierced  you  to  the  brain ;  every  joint  of  your 
armour  behind  is  whitened,  and  that  thrust  that  brought  you 
from  your  horse  would  have  spitted  you  through  and  through. 
Now,  let  there  be  no  ill-feeling  over  this.  It  is  an  experiment, 
and  a  useful  one ;  and  had  I  myself  been  in  your  place  I  do 
not  know  that  I  could  have  done  aught  more  than  you  did." 

Sinclair  was  hot-tempered,  but  of  a  generous  disposition, 
and  he  held  out  his  hand  to  Oswald  frankly. 

"  It  was  a  fair  fight,"  he  said,  "  and  you  worsted  me  alto- 
gether.    No  one  bears  malice  for  a  fair  fall  in  a  joust." 


AN   UNEQUAL  JOUST  67 

"  The  conditions  were  not  at  all  even,"  Oswald  said ;  "  on  a 
pony  like  mine,  unless  you  had  caught  me  in  full  career,  it  was 
impossible  that  the  matter  could  have  turned  out  otherwise." 

"  I  often  wondered,"  Hotspur  said,  as  they  walked  towards 
the  gate,  "  that  our  chivalry  should  have  been  so  often  worsted 
by  the  rough  Scottish  troopers,  but  now  I  understand  it.  The 
Scotch  always  choose  broken  ground,  and  always  scatter  before 
we  get  near  them,  and,  circling  round,  fall  upon  our  chivalry 
when  their  weight  and  array  are  of  no  use  to  them.  Happily, 
such  a  misadventure  has  never  happened  to  myself,  but  it 
might  well  do  so.  The  Scotch,  too,  have  no  regard  for  the 
laws  of  chivalry,  and  once  behind  will  spear  the  horse,  as  in- 
deed happened  to  me  at  Otterburn.  'T  is  a  lesson  in  war  one 
may  well  take  to  heart ;  and  when  I  next  fight  the  Scots,  I  will 
order  that  on  no  account  whatever  are  the  mounted  men  to 
break  their  ranks,  but  whatever  happens  are  to  move  in  a  solid 
body,  in  which  case  they  could  defy  any  attacks  upon  them  by 
light-armed  horse,  however  numerous." 

At  the  gate  of  the  castle  Alwyn  Forster  met  them.  "  You 
have  given  me  a  more  useful  addition  to  my  following  than 
I  dreamt  of,  Alwyn,"  Hotspur  said.  "  Did  you  see  the 
conflict?" 

"  I  watched  it  from  the  wall,  Sir  Henry.  I  felt  sure  how 
the  matter  would  end.  The  lad  is  quick  and  sharp  at  border 
exercises.  I  have  seen  him  work  with  his  father's  troopers. 
There  were  not  many  of  them  who  could  hold  their  own  against 
him,  and  in  fighting  in  their  own  way  I  would  back  the  moss- 
troopers against  the  best  horsemen  in  Europe.  They  are 
always  accustomed  to  fight  each  man  for  himself,  and  though 
a  score  of  men-at-arms  would  ride  through  a  hundred  of  them 
if  they  met  the  charge,  in  single  combat  their  activity  and  the 
nimbleness  of  their  horses  would  render  them  more  than  a 
match  for  a  fully-caparisoned  knight." 


68  BOTH   SIDES  THE    EORDER 

"  So  it  seems,"  Hotspur  said ;  "  and  yet  if  Sinclair  had  but 
known  that  the  lad  was  about  to  swerve  in  his  course,  which 
indeed  he  ought  to  have  known  —  for  it  would  have  been 
madness  to  meet  his  charge  —  he  too  should  have  changed 
his  course  to  his  left  when  a  couple  of  lengths  away,  for  he 
might  be  sure  that  the  lad  would  turn  that  way  so  as  to  get 
on  his  left  hand,  and  in  that  case  he  would  have  ridden  over 
him  like  a  thunderbolt." 

"  Yes,  Sir  Henry,  but  Oswald  would  have  had  his  eye  on 
knee  and  bridle,  and  the  moment  the  horse  changed  his  direc- 
tion he  would  have  been  round  the  other  way  like  an  arrow 
from  a  bow,  and  would  have  planted  himself,  as  he  did,  in  the 
squire's  rear." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  Hotspur  said  thoughtfully.  "  At  any  rate, 
Alwyn,  the  boy  has  given  us  all  a  lesson,  and  you  have  done 
me  good  service  by  presenting  him  to  me." 


CHAPTER  V 

A   MISSION 

FOR  the  next  three  or  four  months  Oswald  was  but  little  at 
the  castle,  Percy  utilising  his  services  in  the  manner 
most  agreeable  to  him  by  sending  him  on  errands  to  various 
knights  and  gentlemen  in  different  parts  of  Northumberland, 
and  to  the  fortified  places  held  by  the  English  across  the 
border.  A  fortnight  after  his  contest  with  Sinclair,  Sir  Henry 
formally  appointed  him  one  of  his  esquires. 

"You  are  young,"  he  said,  "for  such  a  post;  but  as  you 
have  shown  that  you  are  well  able  to  take  care  of  yourself  in 
arms,  and  as  I  perceive  you  to  be  shrewd  and  worthy  of  con- 
fidence, your  age  matters  but  little.     As  my  messenger,  you 


A   MISSION  69 

will  be  more  useful  travelling  as  one  of  my  esquires,  than  as 
one  without  settled  rank,  and  I  can  not  only  send  written  com- 
munications by  you,  but  can  charge  you  to  speak  fully  in  my 
name  and  with  my  authority." 

Oswald  was  not  slow  in  finding  out  the  advantages  that  the 
position  gave  him.  On  the  first  errands  on  which  he  had 
been  sent  he  had  been  treated  as  but  an  ordinary  messenger, 
had  been  placed  at  dinner  below  the  salt,  and  herded  with  the 
men-at-arms.  As  an  esquire  of  Lord  Percy  he  was  treated 
with  all  courtesy,  was  introduced  to  the  ladies  of  the  family, 
sat  at  the  high  table,  and  was  regarded  as  being  in  the  confi- 
dence of  his  lord.  His  youth  excited  some  little  surprise,  but 
acted  in  his  favour,  because  it  was  evident  that  Percy  would 
not  have  nominated  him  as  one  of  his  esquires  had  he  not 
shown  particular  merit.  In  his  journeys  he  often  passed  near 
Yardhope,  where  the  rebuilding  of  the  wall  and  keep  was  be- 
ing pushed  on  with  much  vigour,  the  inhabitants  of  the  villages 
in  the  valley  lending  their  assistance  to  restore  the  fortalice, 
which  they  regarded  as  a  place  of  refuge  in  case  of  sudden 
invasion  by  the  Scots.  His  parents  were  both  greatly  pleased 
at  his  promotion,  especially  his  mother,  who  had  always  been 
anxious  that  he  should  not  settle  down  to  the  adventurous 
and  dangerous  life  led  by  his  father. 

"  By  our  Lady,"  John  Forster  said,  "  though  it  be  but  six 
months  since  you  first  left  us  you  have  changed  rarely.  I  speak 
not  of  your  fine  garments,  but  you  have  grown  and  widened 
out,  and  are  fast  springing  from  a  boy  into  a  man ;  and  it  is  no 
small  thing  that  Percy  should  have  thought  so  well  of  you  as 
to  make  you  one  of  his  esquires  already." 

"  It  was  from  no  merit  of  mine,  father,  but  because  he 
thought  that,  as  his  messenger,  I  should  be  able  to  speak  in 
his  name  with  more  authority  than  had  I  been  merely  the 
bearer  of  a  letter  from  him." 


70  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  'T  is  not  only  that,"  his  father  replied.  "  I  received  a  letter 
but  two  days  since  from  my  brother  Alwyn,  written  by  the  hand 
of  a  monk  of  his  acquaintance,  telling  me  that  Lord  Percy  was 
mightily  pleased  with  you,  not  only  because  you  had  set  your- 
self to  read  and  write,  but  from  the  way  in  which  you  had 
defeated  one  of  his  esquires  in  a  bout  at  arms.  Alwyn  said 
that  he  doubted  not  that  you  would  win  knightly  spurs  as  soon 
as  you  came  to  full  manhood.  So  it  is  clear  that  merit  had 
something  to  do  with  your  advancement,  though  this  may  be 
also  due  to  some  extent  to  the  cause  you  assign  for  it.  The 
monk  who  wrote  the  letter  added  on  his  own  account  that  he 
had  been  your  preceptor,  and  that,  though  he  had  often  rated 
you  soundly,  you  had  made  wonderful  progress." 

"The  monk  is  a  good  teacher,"  Oswald  laughed;  "but  he 
would  have  made  a  better  man-at-arms  than  he  will  ever  make 
a  monk.  I  believe  it  pleased  him  more  that  I  worsted  Sinclair 
—  which  indeed  was  a  small  thing  to  do,  seeing  that  he  had  no 
idea  of  fighting  save  of  charging  straight  at  a  foe  —  than  at  the 
progress  I  made  at  my  books.  He  commands  the  contingent 
that  the  monastery  sends  when  Percy  takes  the  field  to  repel 
an  invasion,  and,  could  he  have  his  own  will,  would  gladly 
exchange  a  monk's  robes  for  the  harness  of  a  man-at-arms. 
I  would  wish  for  no  stouter  companion  in  the  fray." 

The  speed  with  which  he  had  performed  his  journeys,  and 
the  intelligence  which  he  showed  in  carrying  out  his  missions 
and  reporting  on  their  issue,  earned  for  the  lad  an  increasing 
amount  of  liking  and  confidence  on  the  part  of  his  lord.  It 
was  not  only  that  he  delivered  the  replies  to  Hotspur's  messages 
accurately,  but  his  remarks  upon  the  personal  manner  and 
bearing  of  those  to  whom  he  was  sent  were  of  still  greater 
value  to  Percy.  Naturally  all  had  promised  to  have  their  con- 
tingent of  fighting  men  ready  in  case  of  serious  invasion  by 
the  Scots ;  but  Oswald  was  able  to  gather  from  their  manner 


A  MISSION  71 

whether  the  promises  would  surely  be  fulfilled,  or  whether,  in 
case  of  trouble,  the  knights  were  more  likely  to  keep  their  array 
for  the  defence  of  their  own  castles  than  to  join  Percy  in  any 
general  movement. 

One  day,  when  Oswald  had  been  engaged  six  months  at  this 
work,  which  had  taken  him  several  times  into  Cumberland  and 
Westmoreland  as  well  as  the  north,  Lord  Percy  summoned  him 
to  his  private  apartment. 

"  Hitherto  you  have  done  well,  Oswald,  and  I  feel  now  that 
I  can  trust  you  with  a  mission  of  far  higher  importance  than 
those  you  have  hitherto  performed.  'T  is  not  without  its 
dangers,  but  I  know  that  you  will  like  it  none  the  less  for  that 
reason.  You  are  young  indeed  for  business  of  such  importance, 
but  it  seems  to  me  that  of  those  around  me  you  would  be  best 
fitted  to  carry  it  out.  Your  manner  of  speech  has  changed 
much  since  you  came  here,  but  doubtless  you  can  fall  at  will 
into  the  border  dialect,  which  differs  little  from  that  on  the 
other  side,  and  you  can  pass  well  enough  as  coming  from  Jed- 
burgh or  any  other  place  across  the  border. 

"  All  the  world  knows,  lad,  that  George,  Earl  of  March  and 
Dunbar,  was  mightily  offended  at  Rothesay  breaking  off  the 
match  with  his  daughter  and  marrying  the  child  of  his  rival 
Douglas ;  but  now  I  am  going  to  tell  you  what  the  world  does 
not  know,  and  which  is  a  secret  that  would  cost  many  a  life 
were  it  to  be  blabbed  abroad,  and  which  I  should  not  tell  you 
had  I  not  a  perfect  confidence  in  your  discretion.  The  anger 
of  March  —  as  he  is  mostly  called  on  this  side  of  the  border, 
while  in  Scotland  they  more  often  call  him  Earl  of  Dunbar  — 
goes  beyond  mere  displeasure  with  the  Douglas  and  sullen 
resentment  against  Rothesay.  He  has  sent  a  confidential  mes- 
senger to  me  intimating  that  he  is  ready  to  acknowledge  our 
king  as  his  sovereign,  and  place  himself  and  his  forces  at  his 
disposal.     I  see  you  are  surprised,  as  is  indeed  but  natural ; 


72  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

but  the  Marches  have  ever  been  rather  for  England  than  for 
Scotland,  although  they  have  never  gone  so  far  as  to  throw  off 
their  allegiance  to  the  Scottish  throne.  It  is  not  for  us  to 
consider  whether  March  is  acting  treacherously  to  James  of 
Scotland,  but  whether  he  is  acting  in  good  faith  towards  us. 

"  It  was  easy  for  him  to  send  a  messenger  to  me,  since  Scot- 
land trades  with  England,  and  a  ship  bound  for  London  might 
well  touch  at  one  of  our  ports  on  the  way  down,  but  the 
presence  of  an  Englishman  at  Dunbar  would  not  be  so  readily 
explained.  His  messenger  especially  enjoined  on  me  not  to 
send  any  communication  in  writing,  even  by  the  most  trust- 
worthy hand,  since  an  accident  might  precipitate  matters  and 
drive  him  to  take  up  arms  before  we  were  in  a  position  to  give 
him  aid.  Therefore,  in  the  first  place,  I  wish  you  to  journey  to 
Dunbar  to  see  the  earl  and  deliver  to  him  the  message  I  shall 
give  you,  and  endeavour  to  inform  yourself  how  far  he  is  to  be 
trusted.  Say  what  he  will,  I  can  scarce  bring  myself  to  believe 
that  he  will  really  throw  off  his  allegiance  to  Scotland  save  in 
the  event  of  a  great  English  army  marching  north,  when  doubt- 
less he  would  do  what  most  Scotch  nobles  have  always  done, 
namely,  hasten  to  give  in  his  submission  and  make  the  best 
terms  he  can  for  himself. 

"  'T  is  a  business  which  I  like  not,  although  it  is  my  duty  to 
accept  a  proposal  that,  if  made  in  good  faith,  would  be  of  vast 
value  to  the  king.  You  must,  after  seeing  the  earl,  return  here 
with  all  speed,  to  bear  me  any  message  March  may  give  you,  and 
to  report  your  impressions  as  to  his  sincerity  and  good  faith. 
'T  is  a  month  since  I  received  his  message.  Since  then  I  have 
communicated  with  the  king,  and  have  received  his  authority 
to  arrange  terms  with  March,  to  guarantee  him  in  the  posses- 
sion of  his  lordships,  to  hand  over  to  him  certain  tracts  of  the 
Douglas  country  which  he  bargained  for,  and  to  assure  him  of 
pur  support.     But  he  must  be  told  that  the  king  urges  him  to 


A   MISSION  73 

delay  at  present  from  taking  any  open  steps,  as,  in  the  first 
place,  he  is  bound  by  the  truce  just  arranged  for  the  next  two 
years ;  and  in  the  second,  because,  having  no  just  cause  of 
quarrel  with  Scotland,  and  being  at  present  but  newly  seated 
on  the  throne,  be  would  have  difficulty  in  raising  an  army  for 
the  invasion  of  that  country. 

"The  king  is  ready  to  engage  himself  not  to  renew  the 
truce,  and  to  collect  an  army  in  readiness  to  act  in  concert 
with  him  as  soon  as  it  is  terminated.  The  earl  has  sent  by  his 
messenger  a  ring,  which,  on  being  presented  at  Dunbar,  will 
gain  for  the  person  who  carries  it  immediate  access  to  him, 
and  I  shall  also  give  you  my  signet  in  token  that  you  are  come 
from  me.  You  will  carry  also  a  slip  of  paper  that  can  be 
easily  concealed,  saying  that  you  have  my  full  authority  to 
speak  in  my  name.  You  yourself  can  explain  to  him  that  I 
have  selected  you  for  the  mission  because  of  your  knowledge 
of  border  speech,  and  because  a  youth  of  your  age  can  pass 
unobserved  where  a  man  might  excite  attention  and  remark, 
and  possibly  be  detained  until  he  could  render  a  satisfactory 
account  of  himself. 

"  Here  are  the  conditions  set  down  upon  paper,  take  it  and 
commit  them  to  heart,  and  then  tear  the  paper  into  shreds 
and  burn  them.  As  far  as  Roxburgh  you  can  of  course  ride  as 
my  squire,  but  beyond  you  must  travel  in  disguise.  This  you 
had  better  procure  here  and  take  with  you,  for  although  the 
Governor  of  Roxburgh  is  a  trusty  knight,  it  were  best  that  no 
soul  should  know  that  you  go  on  a  mission  to  March,  and  I 
shall  simply  give  you  a  letter  to  him  stating  that  you  are 
engaged  in  a  venture  in  my  service,  and  that  your  horse  and 
armour  are  to  be  kept  for  you  until  your  return." 

Thanking  Lord  Percy  for  the  honour  done  him  in  selecting 
him  for  the  mission,  and  promising  him  to  carry  it  out  to  the 
best  of  his  power,  Oswald  retired,  and,  making  his  way  up  to 


74  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

an  inner  room,  set  about  learning  the  contents  of  the  papei 
given  him,  which  was  indeed  a  copy  of  the  royal  letter  to 
Percy.  When  he  had  thoroughly  mastered  all  the  details  and 
could  repeat  every  word,  he  followed  Sir  Henry's  instructions, 
tore  the  letter  up,  and  carefully  burned  every  fragment.  Then 
he  went  out  into  the  town  and  bought  garments  suited  for 
travelling  unnoticed  in  Scotland,  the  dress  being  almost  iden- 
tical on  both  sides  of  the  border,  save  for  the  lowland  Scotch 
bonnet.  On  his  return  he  found  that  Lord  Percy  had  sent  for 
him  during  his  absence,  and  he  at  once  went  to  his  apartments. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  over  this  matter  further,"  Sir  Henry 
said.  "  The  abbot  came  in  just  as  you  left  me,  and  among 
other  things  he  mentioned  that  friar  Roger  had  again  fallen 
into  disgrace,  having  gone  so  far  as  to  strike  the  sub-prior  on 
the  cheek,  almost  breaking  the  jaw  of  that  worthy  man,  and  that 
finding  discipline  and  punishment  of  no  avail  with  him  he  was 
about  to  expel  him  in  disgrace  from  the  community.  He  said 
that  he  had  only  retained  him  so  long  on  account  of  my  good- 
will for  the  fellow,  and  from  the  fact  that  he  would,  as  I  had 
often  urged,  be  most  valuable  as  leader  of  the  abbot's  forces 
in  case  of  troubles  with  the  Scots,  but  that  his  last  offence  has 
passed  all  bearing.  For  the  time  I  could  say  nothing,  for 
discipline  must  be  maintained  in  a  monastery  as  well  as  in  the 
castle ;  but  after  the  abbot  had  left  me,  and  I  was  walking 
up  and  down  in  vexation  over  the  affair  —  for  I  like  the  rascal 
in  spite  of  his  ways,  and  there  is  no  one  else  who  could  so  well 
lead  the  contingent  of  the  monastery —  a  thought  occurred  to 
me.  I  like  not  your  going  altogether  alone,  for  the  times  are 
lawless,  and  you  might  meet  trouble  on  the  road,  and  yet  I 
did  not  see  whom  I  could  send  with  you.  Now  it  seems  to 
me  that  this  stout  knave  would  make  an  excellent  companion 
for  you. 

"  In  the  first  place,  you  like  him,  and  he  likes  you ;  secondly, 


A   MISSION  75 

a  monk  travelling  north  on  a  mission,  say  from  the  abbot  to 
the  prior  of  a  monastery  near  Dunbar,  could  pass  anywhere 
unheeded ;  and  in  the  third  place,  although  as  a  peaceful  man 
he  could  carry  no  military  arms,  he  might  yet  take  with  him 
a  staff,  with  which  I  warrant  me  he  would  be  a  match  for  two 
or  three  ordinary  men ;  and  lastly,  I  may  be  able  to  convince 
the  abbot  that  he  can  thus  get  rid  of  him  from  the  monastery 
for  some  time  and  avoid  the  scandals  he  occasions,  and  yet 
hold  him  available  on  his  return  for  military  sendee.  What 
say  you,  lad?" 

"  I  should  like  it  much,  Sir  Henry,  I  could  wish  for  no 
stouter  companion ;  and  although  he  may  be  quarrelsome  with 
his  fellows,  it  is,  methinks,  solely  because  the  discipline  of  the 
monastery  frets  him,  and  he  longs  for  a  more  active  life ;  but 
I  believe  that  he  could  be  fully  trusted  to  behave  himself  dis- 
creetly were  he  engaged  in  outdoor  work,  and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  he  is  a  stout  man-at-arms  in  all  ways." 

"  I  should  not  trust  him  in  any  way  with  the  object  of  your 
mission.  If  I  obtain  the  abbot's  consent  I  shall  simply  send 
for  him,  rate  him  soundly  for  his  conduct,  but  telling  him  I 
make  all  allowances  for  his  natural  unfitness  for  his  vocation, 
and  that  I  have,  as  a  matter  of  grace,  obtained  from  the  abbot 
permission  to  use  his  services  for  a  while,  and  to  suspend  his 
sentence  upon  him  until  it  be  seen  how  he  comports  himself, 
and  with  that  view  I  am  about  to  send  him  as  your  companion 
on  a  commission  with  which  I  have  intrusted  you,  to  the  town 
of  Dunbar.  I  shall  hint  that  if  he  behaves  to  my  satisfaction 
I  may  persuade  the  abbot  to  allow  him  to  remain  in  my  ser- 
vice until  the  time  comes  when  he  may  be  useful  to  the  con- 
vent for  military  work,  he  still  undertaking  to  drill  the  lay 
brothers  and  keep  the  abbot's  contingent  in  good  order;  and 
that  when  the  troubles  are  at  an  end  I  will  obtain  for  him  full 
absolution  from  his  vows,  so  that  he  may  leave  the  monastery 


76  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

without  the  disgrace  of  being  expelled,  and  may  then  take  ser* 
vice  with  me  or  with  another  as  a  man-at-arms.  I  wish  you  to 
be  frank  with  me  ;  if  you  would  rather  go  alone,  matters  shall 
remain  as  they  are." 

"  I  would  much  rather  that  he  went  with  me,  my  lord. 
From  the  many  conversations  that  I  have  had  with  him  I  am 
sure  that  he  is  shrewd  and  clever,  and  that  once  beyond  the 
walls  of  the  monastery  and  free  to  use  his  weapon,  he  would 
be  full  of  resource.  There  is  doubtless  much  lawlessness  on 
both  sides  of  the  border,  and  although  I  should  seem  but  little 
worth  robbing,  two  travel  more  pleasantly  than  one ;  and  the 
monk  has  taken  such  pains  with  me,  and  has  been  so  kind, 
that  there  is  no  one  with  whom  I  would  travel  with  greater 
pleasure." 

"  Then  I  will  go  across  to  the  monastery  at  once  and  see  the 
abbot,  and  I  doubt  not  that  he  will  grant  my  request,  for,  much 
and  often  as  brother  Roger  has  given  him  cause  for  anger,  I 
know  that  he  has  a  sort  of  kindness  for  him,  and  will  gladly 
avoid  the  necessity  for  punishing  and  disgracing  him.  If  all  is 
arranged,  the  monk  shall  come  over  here  and  see  you." 

An  hour  later  brother  Roger  came  in  to  the  captain's 
quarters. 

"  So  you  have  been  in  trouble  again,  brother  Roger,"  Alwyn 
Forster  said  with  a  laugh,  as  he  held  out  his  hand  to  him. 

"  That  have  I,  and  an  hour  ago  I  was  lying  in  a  prison  cell 
cursing  my  hot  temper,  and  with,  as  it  seemed,  the  certainty 
of  being  publicly  unfrocked  and  turned  out  like  a  mangy  dog 
from  a  pack.  It  was  not,  mind  you,  that  the  thought  of  being 
unfrocked  was  altogether  disagreeable,  for  I  own  that  I  am 
grievously  ill-fitted  for  my  vocation,  and  that  fasts  and  vigils 
are  altogether  hateful  to  me ;  but  it  would  not  be  a  pleasant 
thing  to  go  out  into  the  world  as  one  who  had  been  kicked 
out,  and  though  I  might  get  employment  as  a  man-at-arms,  I 


A   MISSION  77 

could  never  hope  for  any  promotion,  however  well  I  might  be- 
have. However,  half  an  hour  ago  the  cell  door  was  opened 
and  I  was  taken  before  the  abbot,  whom  I  found  closeted  with 
Hotspur. 

"The  latter  rated  me  soundly,  but  said  that,  for  the  sake 
of  Otterburn,  he  had  spoken  for  me  to  the  abbot,  and  that 
as  he  would  for  the  present  be  able  to  make  use  of  me  in  work 
that  would  be  more  to  my  liking,  the  abbot  had  consented  to 
reconsider  his  decision  and  would  lend  me  to  him  for  a  time, 
in  hopes  that  my  good  conduct  would  in  the  end  induce  him 
to  overlook  my  offences,  and  that  in  that  case  he  might  even 
be  induced  to  take  steps  of  a  less  painful  description  than 
public  disgrace  for  freeing  me  of  my  gown.  I  naturally  re- 
plied that  I  was  grateful  for  his  lordship's  intercession,  and 
that  outside  monkish  offices  there  was  nothing  I  would  not 
do  to  merit  his  kindness.  He  told  me  that  I  was  to  report 
myself  to  your  nephew,  who  would  inform  me  of  the  nature 
of  the  service  upon  which  I  was  at  first  to  be  employed." 

"  It  is  to  undertake  a  journey  with  me,"  Oswald  said.  "  I 
am  going  on  a  mission  for  our  lord,  to  Dunbar.  The  object  of 
my  mission  is  one  that  concerns  me  only,  but  it  is  one  of  some 
importance,  and  as  the  roads  are  lonely  since  March  and 
Douglas  quarrelled,  and  order  is  but  badly  kept  on  the  other 
side  of  the  border,  he  thought  that  I  should  be  all  the  better 
for  a  companion.  Assuredly  I  could  wish  for  none  better  than 
yourself,  for  in  the  first  place  you  have  proved  a  true  friend  to 
me  ;  in  the  second,  you  have  so  much  knowledge  that  we  shall 
not  lack  subjects  for  conversation  upon  the  journey  ;  and  lastly, 
should  I  get  into  any  trouble  I  could  reckon  upon  you  as  a 
match  for  two  or  three  border  robbers." 

"  Nothing  could  be  more  to  my  taste,"  the  monk  said  joy- 
fully. "  I  did  not  /eel  quite  sure  before  whether  I  was  glad  or 
sorry  that  my  expulsion  was  put  off,  for  I  always  thought  that 


78  DOTH   SIDES   THE    EORDER 

it  would  come  to  that  some  day ;  but  now  that  I  learn  for  what 
service  Hotspur  intends  me  I  feel  as  if  I  could  shout  for  joy. 
Get  me  a  flagon  of  beer,  good  Alwyn.  I  have  drunk  but 
water  for  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  and  was  in  too  great 
haste  to  learn  what  was  before  me  even  to  pay  a  visit  to 
brother  Anselm,  the  cellarer,  who  is  a  stanch  friend  of  mine. 
And  do  I  go  as  a  man-at-arms,  Master  Oswald?  for,  as  your 
mission  is  clearly  of  a  private  character,  disguise  may  be 
needful." 

"  No,  Roger,  you  will  go  in  your  own  capacity  as  a  monk, 
journeying  on  a  mission  from  the  abbot  to  the  head  of  some 
religious  community  near  Dunbar.  I  doubt  not  that  Lord 
Percy  will  obtain  a  letter  from  the  abbot,  and  though  it  may 
be  that  there  will  be  no  need  to  deliver  it,  still  it  may  help  us 
on  the  way.  As  you  are  going  with  me,  I  shall  attire  myself 
as  a  young  lay  servitor  of  the  convent." 

"  I  would  that  it  had  been  otherwise,"  the  monk  said  with 
a  sigh.  "  I  should  have  travelled  far  more  lightly  in  the 
heaviest  mail  harness  than  in  this  monk's  robe.  Besides,  how 
can  I  carry  arms  for  use  in  case  of  necessity?  " 

"  You  can  carry  a  staff,"  Oswald  said,  laughing ;  "  and  being 
so  big  a  man  you  will  assuredly  require  a  long  and  heavy  one, 
and  even  if  it  is  heavily  shod  with  iron  no  one  need  object." 

"That  is  not  so  bad,  Master  Oswald.  A  seven-foot  staff  of 
the  thickness  of  my  wrist,  with  an  iron  shoe  weighing  a  pound 
or  two  is  a  carnal  weapon  not  to  be  despised.  As  you  doubt- 
less know,  our  bishops  when  they  ride  in  the  field  always  carry 
a  mace  instead  of  a  sword,  so  that  they  may  not  shed  blood, 
though  I  say  not  that  the  cracking  of  a  man's  skull  is  to  be 
accomplished  without  some  loss  thereof.  However,  if  a  bishop 
may  lawfully  crack  a  man's  head  as  an  egg-shell,  I  see  not  that 
blame  can  attach  to  me,  a  humble  and  most  unworthy  son  of 
the  Church,  if  some  slight  harm  should  come  to  any  man  from 


A   MISSION  79 

the  use  of  so  peaceful  an  instrument  as  a  staff.  And  how 
about  yourself,  young  master?" 

"I  can  carry  a  sword,"  Oswald  replied.  "In  times  like 
these  no  man  travels  unarmed,  and  as  I  go  as  a  servitor,  and 
an  assistant  to  your  reverence,  there  will  be  nothing  unseemly 
in  my  carrying  a  weapon  to  defend  you  from  the  attack  of 
foes." 

"  You  can  surely  take  a  dagger  too  ;  a  dagger  is  a  meet  com- 
panion to  a  sword,  and  is  sometimes  mighty  useful  in  a  close 
fight.  And  mark  me,  take  a  smaller  dagger  also,  that  can  be 
concealed  under  your  coat.  I  myself  will  assuredly  do  the 
same.  There  are  many  instances  in  which  a  trifle  of  that  kind 
might  come  in  useful,  such  as  for  shooting  the  lock  of  a  door 
or  working  out  iron  bars." 

"  I  will  do  so,"  Oswald  said,  "though  I  hope  there  will  be 
no  occasion  such  as  you  say  for  its  use." 

"When  do  we  start,  Master  Oswald?" 

"  To-morrow  at  daybreak.  We  shall  ride  as  far  as  Rox- 
burgh. I  shall  go  on  my  own  horse,  which,  though  as  good 
an  animal  as  was  ever  saddled,  has  but  a  poor  appearance. 
You  had  best  purchase  a  palfrey,  as  fat  and  sleek  as  may  be 
found,  but  with  strength  enough  to  carry  your  weight.  I  shall 
be  amply  provided  with  money,  and  if  you  find  a  bargain  let 
me  know  and  I  will  give  you  the  means.  Mind,  buy  nothing 
that  looks  like  a  war-horse,  but  something  in  keeping  with 
your  appearance." 

That  evening  Oswald  had  another  interview  with  Percy,  and 
received  his  final  instructions  and  a  bag  of  money. 

"Be  careful  with  it,  lad,"  he  said  ;  "not  so  much  because  of 
the  use  that  it  may  be  to  you,  but  because,  were  you  seized 
and  searched  by  robbers  and  others,  the  sight  of  the  gold 
might  awake  suspicions  that  you  were  not  what  you  seemed, 
and  might  lead  to  a  long  detention.    Keep  your  eye  on  brother 


80  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

Roger,  and  see  that  he  does  not  indulge  too  much  in  the  wine- 
cups,  and  that  he  comports  himself  rather  in  keeping  with  his 
attire  than  with  his  natural  disposition,  and  if  you  have  any 
difficulty  in  restraining  him,  or  if  he  does  not  obey  your  orders, 
send  him  back  at  once.     Will  you  see  him  again  this  evening?  " 

"  He  is  waiting  for  me  in  my  apartment  now,  my  lord, 
having  come  for  the  money  for  the  purchase  of  a  palfrey 
which  I  bade  him  get." 

"  Send  him  to  me  when  you  get  there." 

When  the  monk  appeared  before  Hotspur  the  latter  said, 
"See  here,  monk,  I  have  saved  you  from  punishment,  and 
become  as  it  were  your  surety.  See  that  you  do  not  discredit 
me.  You  will  remember  that  although  my  young  esquire  may 
ask  your  advice,  and  benefit  by  your  experience,  he  is  your 
leader,  and  his  orders,  when  he  gives  them,  are  to  be  obeyed 
as  promptly  as  if  it  were  I  myself  who  spoke  to  one  of  my 
men-at-arms.  He  is  my  representative  in  the  matter,  and  is 
obeying  my  orders  as  you  will  obey  his.  The  mission  is  one 
of  importance,  and  if  it  fails  from  any  fault  of  yours,  you  had 
better  drown  yourself  in  the  first  river  you  come  to  than  return 
to  Northumberland." 

"  I  think  that  you  can  trust  me,  my  lord,"  the  monk  said 
calmly.  "  I  am  a  very  poor  monk,  but  methinks  that  I  am 
not  a  bad  soldier,  and  although  I  go  in  the  dress  of  the  one  I 
shall  really  go  as  the  other.  I  know  that  my  duty  as  a  soldier 
will  be  to  obey.  Even  as  regards  my  potations,  which  I  own 
are  sometimes  deeper  than  they  should  be,  methinks  that  as 
a  soldier  I  shall  be  much  less  thirsty  than  I  was  as  a  monk.  If 
the  enterprise  should  fail  from  any  default  of  mine,  your  lord- 
ship may  be  sure  that  I  shall  bear  your  advice  in  mind." 

"  I  doubt  not  that  you  will  do  well,  Roger.  I  should  not 
have  sent  you  with  my  esquire  on  such  a  business  had  I  not 
believed  that  you  would  prove  yourself  worthy  of  my  confi- 


A   MISSION  81 

dence.     I  know  that  a  man  may  be  a  good  soldier,  and  even  a 
wise  counsellor,  though  he  may  be  a  very  bad  monk." 

The  next  morning  the  pair  rode  out  from  the  castle  at  day- 
break. Roger  was  dressed  in  the  usual  monkish  attire  of  the 
time,  a  long  loose  gown  with  a  cape,  and  a  head-covering 
resembling  a  small  turban.  He  rode  a  compactly-built  little 
horse,  which  seemed  scarce  capable  of  carrying  his  weight,  but 
ambled  along  with  him  as  if  it  scarcely  felt  it.  Oswald  was 
dressed  as  a  lay  servitor  in  tightly-fitting  high  hose,  short 
jerkin  girt  in  by  a  band  at  the  waist,  and  going  half-way  down 
to  the  knee.  He  rode  his  own  moorland  horse,  and  carried 
on  his  arm  a  basket  with  provisions  for  a  day's  march.  He 
wore  a  small  cloth  cap,  which  fell  down  to  his  neck  behind. 
His  uncle  accompanied  him  to  the  gate,  which  was  by  his 
orders  opened  to  give  them  egress. 

"  Good-bye,  lad,"  he  said.  "  I  know  not,  and  do  not  wish 
to  know,  the  object  of  your  journey.  It  is  enough  for  me  that 
it  is  a  confidential  mission  for  Hotspur,  and  I  am  proud  that 
you  should  have  been  chosen  for  it,  and  I  feel  convinced  that 
you  will  prove  you  have  merited  our  lord's  confidence.  Good- 
bye, friend  Roger  !  Don't  let  your  love  of  fisticuffs  and  hard 
knocks  carry  you  away,  but  try  and  bear  yourself  as  if  you 
were  still  in  the  monastery,  with  the  abbot  keeping  his  eye 
upon  you." 

Brother  Roger  laughed.  "  You  make  a  cold  shiver  run 
down  my  back,  Alwyn.  I  was  feeling  as  if  I  had  just  got  out 
of  a  cold  cellar  into  the  sunshine,  and  could  shout  with  very 
lightness  of  heart.  I  am  not  in  the  least  disposed  to  quarrel 
with  anyone,  so  let  your  mind  be  easy  as  to  my  doings.  I 
shall  be  discretion  itself;  and  even  if  I  am  called  upon  to 
strike,  will  do  so  as  gently  as  may  be,  putting  only  such 
strength  into  the  blow  as  will  prevent  an  opponent  from 
troubling  us  further." 

6 


82  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

So  with  a  wave  of  the  hand  they  rode  on.   . 

"  I  had  better  strap  that  staff  beside  your  saddle  and  under 
your  knee,"  Oswald  said,  when  they  had  ridden  a  short  distance. 
"  You  carry  it  as  if  it  were  a  spear,  and  I  have  seen  already 
three  or  four  people  smile  as  we  passed  them." 

Roger  reluctantly  allowed  Oswald  to  fasten  the  staff  beside 
him. 

"One  wants  something  in  one's  hands,"  he  said.  "On  foot 
it  does  not  matter  so  much,  but  now  I  am  on  horseback  again 
I  feel  that  I  ought  to  have  a  spear  in  hand  and  a  sword 
dangling  at  my  side." 

"  You  must  remember  that  you  are  still  a  monk,  Roger, 
although  enlarged  for  a  season.  Some  day  perhaps  you  will 
be  able  to  gratify  your  desires  in  that  way.  You  had  best 
moderate  the  speed  of  your  horse,  for  although  he  ambles 
along  merrily  at  present,  he  can  never  carry  that  great  carcase 
of  yours  at  this  pace  through  our  journey." 

"I  should  like  one  good  gallop,"  Roger  sighed  as  he  pulled 
at  the  rein,  and  the  horse  proceeded  at  a  pace  better  suited  to 
the  appearance  of  its  rider. 

"  A  nice  figure  you  would  look  with  your  robes  streaming 
behind  you,"  Oswald  laughed.  "  There  would  soon  be  a  story 
going  through  the  country  of  a  mad  monk.  Now  we  take  this 
turning  to  the  right,  and  here  leave  the  main  north  road,  for 
we  are  bound  in  the  first  place  to  Roxburgh." 

"  I  thought  that  it  must  be  that  or  Berwick,  though  I  asked 
no  questions." 

"  We  shall  not  travel  like  this  beyond  Roxburgh,  but  shall 
journey  forward  on  foot." 

"  I  supposed  that  we  should  come  to  that,  Master  Oswald, 
for  otherwise  you  would  not  have  told  me  to  provide  myself 
with  a  staff." 

They  journeyed  pleasantly  along.   Whenever  they  approached 


THEY    JOURNEYED    PLEASANTLY    ALONl 


A   MISSION  83 

any  town  or  large  village  Oswald  reined  back  his  horse  a  little, 
so  that  its  head  was  on  a  level  with  Roger's  stirrup.  They 
slept  that  night  at  Kirknewton,  where  they  put  up  at  a  small 
hostelry.  Oswald  had  intended  going  to  the  monastery  there, 
but  Roger  begged  so  earnestly  that  they  should  put  up  else- 
where that  he  yielded  to  him. 

"  I  should  have  no  end  of  questions  asked  as  to  our  journey 
across  the  border  and  its  object,"  Roger  said  ;  "  and  it  always 
goes  against  my  conscience  to  have  to  lie  unless  upon  pressing 
occasions." 

"  And,  moreover,"  Oswald  said  with  a  laugh,  "  you  might  be 
expected  to  get  up  to  join  the  community  at  prayers  at  mid- 
night, and  they  might  give  you  a  monk's  bed  instead  of  a 
more  comfortable  one  in  the  guest-chambers." 

"There  may  be  something  in  that,"  Roger  admitted,  "and 
I  have  so  often  to  sleep  on  a  stone  bench  for  the  punishment 
of  my  offences  that  I  own  to  a  weakness  for  a  soft  bed  when  I 
can  get  one." 

However,  Oswald  was  pleased  to  see  that  his  follower  be- 
haved at  their  resting-place  with  more  discretion  than  he 
could  have  hoped  for,  although  he  somewhat  surprised  his 
host  by  the  heartiness  of  his  appetite  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
he  was  moderate  in  his  potations,  and  talked  but  little,  retiring 
to  a  bed  of  thick  rushes  at  curfew. 

"  In  truth  I  was  afraid  to  trust  myself,"  he  said  to  Oswald 
as  they  lay  down  side  by  side.  "  Never  have  I  felt  so  free 
since  Otterburn  — never,  indeed,  since  that  unfortunate  day 
when  I  was  wounded  and  conceived  the  fatal  idea  of  becom- 
ing a  monk.  Two  or  three  times  the  impulse  to  troll  out  a 
trooper's  song  was  so  strong  in  me  that  I  had  to  clap  my 
hand  over  my  mouth  to  keep  it  in." 

"  'T  is  well  you  did,  Roger,  for  assuredly  if  you  had  so  com- 
mitted yourself  on  the  first  day  of  starting  I  must  have  sent 


84  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

you  back  to  Alnwick,  feeling  that  it  would  not  be  safe  for  you 
to  proceed  with  me  farther.  When  we  get  upon  the  Cheviots 
to-morrow  you  may  lift  your  voice  as  you  choose,  but  it  were 
best  that  you  confined  yourself  to  a  Latin  canticle  even  there 
for  the  habit  of  breaking  into  songs  of  the  other  kind  might 
grow  upon  you." 

"  I  will  do  so,"  Roger  said  seriously.  "  Some  of  the  canti- 
cles have  plenty  of  ring  and  go,  and  the  words  matter  not, 
seeing  that  I  do  not  understand  them." 

The  next  morning  they  resumed  their  journey,  crossed  the 
Cheviots,  which  were  here  comparatively  low  hills,  and  after 
four  hours'  riding  arrived  at  Roxburgh. 

"Why  do  we  come  here?"  Roger  asked.  "It  would 
surely  have  been  much  shorter  had  we  travelled  through  Ber- 
wick and  along  the  coast  road." 

"  Much  shorter,  Roger ;  but  Sir  Henry  thought  it  better 
that  we  should  go  inland  to  Haddington  and  thence  east  to 
Dunbar,  as  thus  entering  the  town  it  would  seem  that  we 
came  from  Edinburgh  or  from  some  western  monastery, 
whereas  did  we  journey  by  the  coast  road  it  might  be  guessed 
that  we  had  come  from  England." 

As  before,  they  put  up  at  a  hostelry,  and  Oswald  then  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  to  the  governor's  house.  Some  soldiers  were 
loitering  at  the  door. 

"  What  do  you  want,  lad  ?  "  one  of  them  asked  as  he  came  up. 

"  I  have  a  letter  which  I  am  charged  to  deliver  into  the 
governor's  own  hands." 

"  A  complaint,  I  suppose,  from  some  worthy  prior  who  has 
lost  some  of  his  beeves?  " 

"  Maybe  the  governor  will  inform  you  if  you  ask  him," 
Oswald  replied. 

"  I  shall  pull  your  ear  for  you  when  you  come  out,  young 
jackanapes,"  the  soldier  said  hotly. 


A   MISSION  85 

"  That  danger  I  must  even  risk.  Business  first  and  pleasure 
afterwards."  And  while  the  other  soldiers  burst  into  a  fit  of 
laughter  at  the  astonishment  of  their  comrade  at  what  he 
deemed  the  insolence  of  this  young  senator  of  a  monastery, 
he  quietly  entered. 

The  guard  at  the  door,  who  had  heard  the  colloquy,  led 
him  into  the  governor's  room.  "  A  messenger  with  a  letter 
desires  speech  with  you,  Sir  Philip,"  he  said. 

"  Bid  him  enter,"  the  knight  said  briefly. 

Oswald  entered  and  bowed  deeply.  He  waited  until  the 
door  closed  behind  the  attendant  and  then  said  : 

" 1  am  the  bearer  of  a  letter,  sir,  from  Lord  Percy  to  you." 

The  knight  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 

"  Hotspur  has  chosen  a  strange  messenger,"  he  muttered  to 
himself  as  he  took  the  missive  Oswald  held  out  to  him,  cut 
the  silk  that  bound  it  with  a  dagger,  and  read  its  contents. 
As  he  laid  it  down  he  rose  to  his  feet.  "  Excuse  my  want  of 
courtesy,"  he  said.  "  Lord  Percy  tells  me  that  you  are  one 
of  his  esquires  —  no  slight  recommendation  —  and  that  you 
are  intrusted  with  somewhat  important  a  mission  on  his  part 
to  Dunbar,  a  still  higher  recommendation  —  for  assuredly  he 
would  not  have  selected  you  for  such  a  purpose  had  you  not 
stood  high  in  his  regard.  But,  indeed,  at  first  I  took  you  for 
what  you  seemed,  as  the  bearer  of  a  complaint  from  some 
abbot ;  for  in  truth  such  complaints  are  not  uncommon,  for 
whenever  a  bullock  is,  lost  they  put  it  down  to  my  men. 
Where  are  your  horses  that  Percy  speaks  of  ?  You  will,  I  hope, 
take  up  your  abode  here  as  long  as  you  stay  in  the  town." 

"  Thank  you,  Sir  Philip ;  but  I  shall  go  forward  in  the 
morning.  I  have  already  put  up  at  the  Golden  Rose.  It 
would  attract  attention  were  I  to  come  here,  and  it  were  best 
that  I  remain  as  I  am  ;  and  indeed  I  have  brought  no  clothes 
with  me  save  those  I  stand  in." 


86  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  Well,  perhaps,  as  you  do  not  wish  to  attract  attention,  it 
were  best  so ;  and  I  pray  you  inform  Lord  Percy  of  the  reason 
why  you  declined  my  entertainment." 

"  I  shall  be  glad,  Sir  Philip,  if  you  will  send  down  a  couple 
of  your  men  to  fetch  the  horses  up  to  your  stables,  as  I  shall 
start  as  soon  as  the  gates  are  open  to-morrow  morning." 

"I  will  do  so  at  once."  And  the  governor  rang  a  hand-bell 
on  the  table. 

"  Send  two  of  the  men  up  here,"  he  said,  as  an  attendant 
entered. 

A  minute  later  a  door  opened,  and  two  soldiers  came  in  and 
saluted.  One  of  them,  to  Oswald's  amusement,  was  the  man 
with  whom  he  had  exchanged  words  below. 

"  You  will  accompany  this  gentleman  to  the  Golden  Rose, 
and  bring  back  two  horses  which  he  will  hand  over  to  you, 
and  place  them  in  the  stables  with  mine.  Are  you  sure, 
Master  Forster,  that  there  is  nothing  more  that  I  can  do  for 
you  ?  " 

"  Nothing  whatever,  I  thank  you,  sir ;  and  I  am  greatly 
obliged  by  your  courtesy,  and  with  your  permission  I  will  take 
my  leave.  I  hope  to  return  here  in  the  course  of  a  week  or 
ten  days." 

So  saying,  Oswald  shook  hands  with  the  governor  and  went 
downstairs,  followed  by  the  soldiers,  who  had  not  yet  recovered 
from  their  surprise  at  seeing  Oswald  seated  and  evidently  on 
familiar  terms  with  their  lord.  Oswald  said  nothing  to  them 
until  he  arrived  at  the  Golden  Rose.  Then  he  led  the  way  to 
the  stables,  and  handed  the  horses  over  to  them. 

"  I  suppose  that  that  pulling  of  the  ear  will  be  deferred  for 
a  time?"  he  said,  with  a  smile,  to  the  soldier  who  had  made 
the  remark. 

The  man  sheepishly  took  hold  of  the  bridle.  "  I  could  not 
tell,  sir  —  "  he  began. 


AT   DUNBAR  87 

**  Of  course  you  could  not,"  Oswald  interrupted.  "  Still,  it 
may  be  a  lesson  to  you  that  it  is  just  as  well  not  to  make  fun 
of  people  until  you  are  quite  sure  who  they  are.  There,  I 
bear  no  malice ;  get  yourselves  a  stoup  of  wine  in  payment  for 
your  services." 

"  I  thought  that  there  was  something  out-of-the-way  about 
him,"  the  other  man  said  as  they  walked  up  the  street  with  the 
two  horses,  "  or  he  would  never  have  turned  upon  you  as  he 
did.  It  is  evident  that  he  is  someone  of  consequence,  and  is 
here  on  some  secret  business  or  other  with  Sir  Philip.  It  is 
well  that  he  did  not  bear  malice,  for  you  would  have  got  it  hot 
from  the  governor  had  he  reported  what  you  said  to  him." 


CHAPTER  VI 

AT   DUNBAR 

THE  journey  passed  without  any  incident  of  importance, 
but  Oswald  had  reason  to  congratulate  himself  on  having 
taken  the  monk  with  him.  On  one  occasion,  as  they  were 
passing  over  a  wild  heath,  a  party  of  eight  or  ten  men,  on 
rough  ponies,  rode  up.  They  were  armed  with  spears  and 
swords.  They  reined  up  with  exclamations  of  disappointment 
as  Roger,  who  had  rolled  up  his  robe  round  his  waist  for  con- 
venience of  walking,  let  it  fall  round  him. 

"  You  have  played  us  a  scurvy  trick,  monk,"  the  leader  said 
angrily.  "  Who  was  to  guess  it  was  a  monk  who  was  thus 
striding  along?" 

"  You  would  find  it  difficult  to  walk  yourself  with  this  robe 
dangling  about  your  heels,"  Roger  said. 

"  Whither  are  you  bound,  and  whence  are  you  going?" 


88  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"We  are  travelling  to  Dunbar,  being  sent  to  the  convent  of 
St.  Magnus  there,  and  come  from  Roxburgh." 

"  'T  is  a  shame  that  so  stalwart  a  fellow  as  you  are  should  be 
leading  a  drone's  life  in  a  convent,  when  every  true  Scotsman 
is  sharpening  his  spear  in  readiness  for  what  may  come  when 
the  truce  with  England  expires." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  so  well  employed,"  Roger 
replied ;  "  but  methinks  that  in  days  like  these  it  is  sometimes 
useful  to  have  a  few  men  of  thews  and  sinews  even  in  a  re- 
ligious house,  for  there  are  those  who  sometimes  fail  in  the 
respect  they  owe  to  the  Church." 

"That  is  true  enough,"  the  men  laughed.  "Well,  go  thy 
way,  there  is  nought  to  be  gained  from  a  travelling  monk." 

"  Nought,  good  friend,  save  occasionally  hard  blows,  when 
the  monk  happens  to  be  of  my  strength  and  stature,  and 
carries  a  staff  like  this." 

"  'T  is  a  goodly  weapon  in  sooth,  and  you  look  as  if  you 
knew  how  to  wield  it." 

"  Even  a  monk  may  know  that,  seeing  that  a  staff  is  not  a 
carnal  weapon." 

And  rolling  up  his  sleeves  Roger  took  the  staff  in  the  middle 
with  both  hands,  in  the  manner  of  a  quarter- staff,  and  made  it 
play  round  his  head  with  a  speed  and  vigour  that  showed  that 
he  was  a  complete  master  of  the  exercise. 

"  Enough,  enough  !  "  the  man  said,  while  exclamations  of 
admiration  broke  from  the  others.  "  Truly  from  such  a  cham- 
pion, strong  enough  to  wield  a  weapon  that  resembles  a 
weaver's  beam  rather  than  a  quarter-staff,  there  would  be  more 
hard  knocks  than  silver  to  be  gained ;  but  it  is  all  the  more 
pity  that  such  skill  and  strength  should  be  thrown  away  in  a 
convent.  Perhaps  it  is  as  well  that  you  are  wearing  a  monk's 
gown,  for  methinks  that,  eight  to  one  as  we  are,  some  of  us 
might  have  got  broken  heads  before  we  gained  the  few  pence 


AT   DUNBAR  89 

in  your  pocket.  Come  on  men;  better  luck  next  time.  It  is 
clear  that  this  man  is  not  the  one  we  are  charged  to  capture." 
And  with  his  followers  he  rode  off  across  the  moor. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  they  are  what  they  seem,  Oswald  said, 
as  they  resumed  their  journey.  "  The  man's  speech  was  not 
that  of  a  border  raider,  and  his  followers  would  hardly  have 
sat  their  horses  so  silently  and  obeyed  his  orders  so  promptly 
had  they  been  merely  thieving  caterans  ;  besides,  you  marked 
that  he  said  you  were  not  the  man  they  were  watching  for." 

"  Whom  think  you  that  they  are  then,  Master  Oswald?  " 

"  I  think  it  possible  that  they  may  be  a  party  of  Douglas's 
followers,  led  by  a  knight.  It  may  be  that  Douglas  has 
received  some  hint  of  March's  being  in  communication  with 
England,  and  that  he  has  sent  a  party  to  seize  and  search  any 
traveller  who  looked  like  a  messenger  from  the  south.  Of 
course  this  may  be  only  fancy.  Still,  I  am  right  glad  that  you 
were  wearing  your  monkish  robe,  for  had  I  been  alone  I  might 
have  been  cross-questioned  so  shrewdly  as  to  my  purpose  in 
travelling,  that  I  might  have  been  held  on  suspicion,  and 
means  employed  to  get  the  truth  out  of  me." 

At  the  small  town  where  they  stopped  next  night  they 
learned  that  many  complaints  had  been  made  by  travellers 
from  the  south  of  how  they  had  been  stopped  by  a  party  of 
armed  men  on  the  border,  closely  questioned,  and  searched, 
and  in  some  cases  robbed.  This  had  been  going  on  for  some 
weeks,  and  the  sheriff  of  the  county  had  twice  collected  an 
armed  force  and  ridden  in  search  of  the  robbers,  but  alto- 
gether without  success.  It  was  believed  that  they  were  stran- 
gers to  the  district,  and  the  description  given  of  them  had 
not  agreed  with  those  of  any  noted  bad  characters  in  the 
neighbourhood. 

"  Certainly,  Master  Oswald,"  the  monk  said,  "  all  this  seems 
to  support  your  idea.     Money  and  valuables  are  soon  found ; 


90  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

but  by  what  these  men  say  of  the  way  in  which  the  clothes  and 
belongings  of  these  travellers  were  searched,  it  would  seem  to 
show  that  money  was  not  the  object  of  the  band,  but  rather 
the  discovery  of  correspondence,  and  that  money  was  only 
taken  as  a  cloak." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  they  were  there  to  intercept  some- 
one, Roger,  though  it  may  not  have  been  Percy's  messengers ; 
still,  we  are  well  rid  of  them,  and  I  hope  that  we  shall  meet  no 
more  on  our  way." 

The  hope  was  fulfilled,  and  they  reached  Dunbar  without 
further  interruption.  Here  they  deemed  it  better  to  separate. 
The  monk  went  to  a  convent  and  gave  out  there  that  he  was 
on  the  way  to  Edinburgh,  being  on  a  journey  thither  to  see  his 
aged  father,  who  was  in  his  last  sickness.  Oswald  went  to  a 
shop  and  bought  clothes  suited  for  the  son  of  a  trader  in  a  fair 
position,  and  changing  his  things  at  the  inn  where  he  had  put 
up,  made  his  way  to  the  castle. 

"  I  would  have  speech  with  the  earl,"  he  said  to  the  warder 
at  the  gate.     "  I  have  his  orders  to  wait  upon  him." 

"  What  is  your  name  and  condition  ?  " 

"  That  matters  not.  I  am  here  by  the  earl's  orders.  He 
sent  me  a  ring  by  which  it  might  be  known  that  I  am  author- 
ised to  have  access  to  him." 

On  seeing  the  ring  the  warder  at  once  called  to  one  of 
the  servitors  and  bade  him  conduct  Oswald  to  the  earl's 
apartment. 

"Whom  shall  I  say?"  he  asked  when  he  reached  the  door. 

"  Give  this  ring  to  him,  and  say  the  bearer  awaits  admittance 
to  him." 

The  man  entered  the  room,  and  then  opening  the  door  again 
motioned  to  Oswald  to  enter.  The  earl,  a  tall  and  powerfully- 
built  man,  looked  with  a  keen  scrutiny  at  him. 

"From  whom  come  you,  young  sir?" 


AT   DUNBAR  91 

"  From  the  holder  of  that  ring,  ray  Lord  Earl,"  Oswald  said, 
presenting  the  ring  that  Percy  had  given  him.  "  My  name  is 
Oswald  Forster,  and  I  have  the  honour  to  be  one  of  Lord 
Percy's  esquires." 

"Come  you  alone?"  the  earl  asked. 

"  I  came  with  a  companion,  a  monk.  I  was  in  the  disguise 
of  a  young  servitor  of  his  convent.  We  came  on  foot  from 
Roxburgh." 

He  then  unscrewed  the  handle  of  a  dagger  Percy  had  given 
him  for  the  purpose,  and  pulled  out  a  small  roll  of  paper,  which 
he  handed  to  the  earl.  It  contained  only  the  following  words  : 
"  Do  not  intrust  undue  confidence  in  the  bearer.  The  matters 
you  wot  of  are  in  good  train ;  of  them  my  messenger  knows 
nothing." 

"  This  was  so  writ  by  Sir  Henry  Percy,"  said  Oswald,  "  in 
order  that  if  I  were  detained  and  searched  on  the  way,  and 
this  paper  found  on  me,  I  might  not  be  forced  by  torture  to 
say  aught  of  my  message." 

"  But  this  signet-ring  would  have  shown  to  whom  you  were 
coming." 

"  It  was  concealed  in  my  staff,  my  lord,  and  could  not  have 
been  discovered  had  not  that  been  split  open.  Had  it  been 
so  I  should  have  admitted  that  Lord  Percy  had  indeed  com- 
mitted the  signet  and  the  writing  to  me  to  carry,  and  had  bid 
me  travel  as  the  servitor  of  a  monk  on  his  journey  north,  but 
that,  more  than  that  these  were  to  be  delivered  to  you,  I  knew 
nothing.  Lord  Percy  selected  me  as  his  messenger  partly  be- 
cause from  my  youth  I  should  not  be  likely  to  be  suspected 
of  being  a  messenger  between  two  great  lords,  and  in  the 
second  place,  because,  if  arrested,  and  these  matters  found  on 
me,  the  statement  of  the  letter  would  be  readily  believed.  It 
would  not  be  supposed  that  important  state  secrets  would  be 
committed  to  a  lad  like  myself." 


92  BOTH    SIDES    THE    BORDER 

The  earl  made  no  reply  for  a  time,  but  sat  with  his  eyes 
fixed  on  Oswald's  face,  as  if  he  were  reading  him  thoroughly. 

"  Then  you  do  know  the  matters  in  question?  " 

"  I  do,  my  lord.  I  am  the  bearer  of  a  further  communication 
to  you." 

"  Say  on,  then." 

"  Lord  Percy  bids  me  say  that  on  the  receipt  of  your  message 
to  him,  he  forwarded  it  by  one  of  his  knights  to  the  king  at 
Westminster,  and  that  the  matter  was  discussed  by  his  majesty 
with  two  or  three  of  his  most  trusted  councillors.  After  full 
consideration  the  king  has  accepted  your  offer,  and  will  grant 
all  its  conditions.  He  sent,  my  lord,  also  a  document  with  his 
royal  seal  attached,  engaging  to  observe  all  the  conditions  of 
the  compact.  This  document  Lord  Percy  holds,  to  be  given  to 
you  on  a  convenient  occasion,  but  he  deemed  it  of  so  important 
a  nature  that  it  would  be  too  hazardous  to  send  it  to  you.  The 
king,  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Percy,  begged  him  to  tell  you  that  so 
long  as  the  truce  continued  he  could  not  collect  an  army  to  sup- 
port you,  but  that,  as  the  time  for  its  termination  approached, 
he  would  begin  to  do  so,  and  would  be  in  readiness  to  take  the 
field  in  the  north  immediately  you  move  in  the  matter." 

The  earl  sat  for  some  time  in  thought.  "  Do  you  know  the 
conditions  of  the  compact?"  he  asked  suddenly. 

Oswald  had  expected  this  question,  and  felt  sure  that  the 
earl,  who  was,  when  not  inflamed  by  anger,  a  cool  and  cautious 
man,  would  highly  disapprove  of  Hotspur's  frankness,  and  might 
possibly  detain  him  if  he  knew  that  he  possessed  so  important 
a  secret.  He  therefore  replied,  "  As  to  such  grave  matters, 
it  was  not  necessary  that  I  should  know  more  than  I  have 
said  to  you,  my  Lord  Earl.  As  it  is  no  secret  that  you  and  the 
Douglases  have  personal  enmity,  I  deemed  that  the  compact 
referred  to  our  king  giving  you  aid  should  you  need  it  against 
the  Douglases." 


AT   DUNBAR  93 

The  answer  was  apparently  satisfactory.  The  earl  asked 
no  further  questions  on  this  head. 

"  Were  there  other  reasons  than  those  you  have  stated  why 
he  chose  you  as  his  messenger?  " 

"  Another  reason  he  gave  me,  my  lord,  was  that  as  I  came 
of  a  family  who  reside  within  a  few  miles  of  the  border,  and 
had  relatives  on  this  side  whom  I  sometimes  visited,  my 
language  was  similar  to  that  spoken  in  Roxburghshire,  so 
that  I  could  therefore  pass  as  a  Lowland  Scot  without  diffi- 
culty. No  one,  in  fact,  at  the  various  places  at  which  we 
have  stopped  has  taken  me  for  aught  but  a  countryman, 
though  the  monk  with  me  was  often  taxed  with  being  an 
Englishman,  though  belonging  to  a  monastery  at  Roxburgh." 

Again  the  earl  was  silent  for  some  time.  "  I  must  think 
over  the  message  that  I  shall  give  you  for  Percy,"  he  said.  "  I 
like  not  the  delay,  though  I  see  that  there  is  good  reason  for 
it.  As  one  of  Hotspur's  esquires  I  would  fain  treat  you  with 
all  courtesy  and  lodge  you  here,  but  this  might  cause  question 
as  to  who  you  are,  and  it  were  therefore  better  that  you  should 
lodge  in  the  town.     Have  you  put  up  anywhere?" 

"  I  rested  for  an  hour  at  the  sign  of  the  Lion,  my  lord, 
engaging  a  room  there  in  order  to  effect  a  change  in  my 
clothes.  I  left  by  the  back  entrance  in  order  that  the  change 
should  not  be  observed." 

"  It  were  best  that  you  fetched  those  you  travelled  in  away, 
or  rather  that  you  returned  unnoticed,  and  as  it  is  getting 
dark  now,  this  can  doubtless  be  managed,  and  when  you  sally 
out  place  that  cloak  over  your  shoulders  to  hide  your  dress  as 
a  servitor,  and  go  to  the  other  inn,  the  Falcon.  Say  there 
that  you  are  staying  for  a  few  days  in  Dunbar,  having  come 
here  on  business  with  me,  and  that  I  bade  you  go  there  so 
that  I  might  know  where  to  send  for  you  if  necessary.  You 
can  pass  for  what  you  seem,  a  young  trader  who  has  come 


94  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

from  Edinburgh  to  arrange,  on  the  part  of  your  father,  a  cloth 
merchant  there,  for  a  supply  of  stuffs  for  the  clothing  of  my 
retainers." 

Oswald  carried  out  his  instructions,  walked  about  until  it 
was  quite  dark,  then  entered  the  inn,  made  his  way  unobserved 
to  the  chamber  where  he  had  left  his  clothes,  put  these  on, 
made  the  others  up  into  a  bundle,  and  then  went  downstairs 
again  and  paid  his  bill,  saying  as  he  did  so,  that  he  had  found 
the  friends  he  came  to  see,  and  that  they  had  room  to  take 
him  in.  After  leaving  the  house  he  threw  the  cloak,  which  he 
had  carried  on  his  arm,  over  his  shoulders,  and  put  on  the  cap 
that  belonged  to  his  other  dress,  and  then  went  to  the  Falcon 
Inn,  and  repeating  to  the  landlord  the  statement  the  earl  had 
made,  was  at  once  shown  to  a  chamber  with  some  deference. 

"  Will  your  worship  have  supper  here  or  in  the  room 
below?" 

"  I  will  come  down,"  he  said  ;  "  it  is  dull  work  sitting  alone." 

Having  ordered  his  supper,  with  a  flask  of  wine,  Oswald 
again  donned  his  attire  as  a  trader  and  went  downstairs. 
Just  as  he  entered  the  room,  in  which  several  persons  were 
sitting,  a  soldier  came  in  from  the  outer  door.  He  looked 
round  the  room. 

"  I  have  a  message  from  the  earl  for  the  person  who  was 
with  him  this  afternoon." 

Oswald  at  once  rose  and  went  across  to  him.  "The  earl 
bade  me  tell  you,"  the  soldier  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  that  his 
present  furnisher  is  Robert  Micklethwaite,  and  that  his  place 
of  business  is  near  the  castle  gate  at  Edinburgh." 

"Please  thank  the  earl  for  the  information,"  Oswald  replied, 
and  then  returned  to  his  seat. 

He  had,  indeed,  while  dressing  been  wondering  what  name 
he  should  give.  It  was  like  enough  that  in  Dunbar  many 
might  know  the  names  of  the  principal  traders  in  Edinburgh 


AT   DUNBAR  95 

and  that  were  he  to  give  an  unknown  one  he  might  be  ques- 
tioned as  to  his  place  of  business.  The  message,  therefore, 
relieved  him  of  this  difficulty.  After  he  had  finished  his  supper, 
which  was  an  excellent  one,  he  beckoned  to  the  landlord. 

"  I  am  a  stranger  here,  landlord,"  he  said  ;  "  I  pray  you  to 
drink  a  cup  with  me,  and  tell  me  the  news  of  the  place.  You 
may  know  the  name  of  Micklethwaite,"  he  went  on,  as  the  land- 
lord sat  down,  "  and  that  he  comes  or  sends  regularly  to  arrange 
for  the  supply  of  cloth,  its  quality  and  price,  required  for  the 
earl's  retainers." 

"Master  Micklethwaite  always  puts  up  here  when  he  visits 
Dunbar,"  the  landlord  said.  "  I  must  have  misunderstood  him, 
for  one  day  when  he  was  talking  with  me  he  said  that  it  was 
a  trouble  to  him  that  he  had  no  sons." 

"  Nor  has  he,"  Oswald  said ;  "  luckily  for  me,  who  am  but 
a  nephew." 

"He  is  a  good  customer,"  the  landlord  went  on,  "  and  good 
company  too ;  but  he  cares  not  for  French  wines,  and  does 
not  trouble  my  cellarer  much." 

"  He  is  a  careful  man,"  Oswald  said,  with  a  smile,  "  and 
though  he  is  a  good  trencherman,  he  does  not  waste  his 
money  on  such  matters.  However,  he  lets  me  have  a  freer 
hand  than  he  uses  himself,  and  asks  not,  when  I  return,  for  a 
close  account  of  my  outgoings.  What  do  they  say  here  as  to 
the  chances  of  another  war  with  England?" 

"  I  fear  the  worst,"  the  landlord  replied.  "  These  wars  are 
ruin  to  us,  and  we  have  had  the  English  at  the  gates  of  Dun- 
bar over  many  times  already,  and  the  town  sacked  and  burnt 
over  our  heads  more  than  once.  Though  I  do  not  say  that  it 
might  not  have  been  worse,  for  our  earls  have  ever  stood  aloof 
as  much  as  possible,  and  have  often  inclined  towards  the 
English  side.  Still,  even  then  it  is  bad  enough,  for  the  whole 
country  from  Berwick  has  often  been  wasted   to  check  the 


96  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

progress  of  the  armies,  and  our  trade  well-nigh  ruined.  A 
pest  on  all  wars,  say  I  !  " 

"  And  which  way  think  you  that  the  present  earl's  leanings 
would  go?  " 

"  I  think  not  about  it  one  way  or  the  other.  My  business 
is  to  sell  food  and  liquor,  the  earl's  to  take  part  in  affairs  of 
state.  In  days  like  these  it  is  quite  enough  for  each  man  to 
attend  to  his  own  business  without  troubling  about  that  of 
other  people,  more  especially  when  that  other  is  a  powerful 
noble,  who  thinks  little  enough  of  slitting  a  tongue  that  wags 
too  freely.  No,  no,  lad ;  John  Sanderson  is  no  fool,  and 
knows  better  than  to  open  his  mouth  touching  the  affairs  of 
great  nobles.  I  know  not  how  it  may  be  with  you  and  the 
burghers  of  Edinburgh,  but  here  we  are  content  to  cool  our 
own  porridge,  and  let  others  take  their  food  hot  or  cold  as 
they  choose." 

"  I  was  not  wishing  you  to  give  me  so  much  your  own  ideas 
as  the  common  talk  of  the  town ;  but  I  see  that  my  question 
was  indiscreet,  and  I  ask  your  pardon." 

"  I  know  you  meant  no  harm,  lad,  and  that  your  question 
was  just  one  that  any  young  man  of  your  age  might  ask  with- 
out thinking  that  there  was  harm  in  it,  or  that  the  answering 
of  it  might  lead  to  harm.  I  can  tell  you  that  whatever  folk 
may  think  here  in  Dunbar,  they  say  nought  about  it  to  their 
nearest  neighbour.  We  can  talk  of  war  with  England,  that  is 
too  common  a  thing  for  there  to  be  harm  in  it,  and  as  no  one 
knows  aught,  one  man's  opinion  is  as  good  as  another's ;  but 
the  talk  is  general,  and  assuredly  no  man  asks  his  neighbour 
what  this  great  lord  will  do,  or  how  matters  will  go.  There 
is  no  harm  in  two  gossips  wondering  whether,  if  the  English 
come,  the  town  will  hold  out  till  help  comes,  or  whether  they 
will  batter  down  the  walls  first. 

"  It  is  a  kind  of  riddle,  you  see,  and  all  the  more  that  no 


AT   DUNBAR  97 

one  knows  who  may  be  by  the  king's  side  when  the  storm 
breaks.  A  generation  back  men  might  make  a  fair  guess,  but 
now  it  were  beyond  the  wisest  head  to  say,  and  for  my  part  I 
leave  the  thinking  to  those  whom  it  concerns.  You  from 
Edinburgh  ought  to  know  more  than  we  do,  for  in  great  cities 
men  can  talk  more  freely,  seeing  that  no  one  lord  has  the 
place  in  his  hands,  and  that  the  citizens  have  rights,  and  hold 
to  them.  The  general  thought  is  that  we  shall  have  war 
directly  the  truce  is  over.  Among  us  who  live  by  peaceful 
trade  we  still  hope  for  peace,  for  we  see  not  what  good  comes 
of  war,  save  to  those  who  make  raids  in  England,  and  as  often 
as  not  these  get  more  hard  knocks  than  plunder;  but  to  the 
quiet  trader  it  means  loss,  and  may  well  mean  ruin  if  the 
English  army  again  marches  through  Scotland.  We  can  dis- 
cover no  reason  why  the  two  countries  should  not  live  peace- 
ably together,  each  going  about  its  own  business.  I  have 
heard  it  said  before  now  that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for 
both  countries  if  the  border  districts  on  both  sides  were 
stripped  altogether  of  their  people,  and  allowed  to  lie 
desolate. 

"  Ah,  it  would  be  a  rare  thing,  that.  It  is  thieving  loons  on 
both  sides  of  the  border  that  keep  up  the  ill-feeling,  and  the 
loss  would  not  be  great,  seeing  that  there  are  plenty  of  waste 
tracts  where  the  people  might  be  bestowed,  and  pass  their 
time  more  profitably  in  raising  crops  and  cattle  than  in  destroy- 
ing or  carrying  off  those  of  their  neighbours.  However,  young 
sir,  that  is  not  like  to  be  in  our  time." 

"  I  am  afraid  not,  Sanderson,  and  we  must  needs  make  the 
best  we  can  of  things  as  they  stand.  I  think  that  't  would  be 
well,  if  the  English  do  come  north  again  and  capture  Edin- 
burgh, and  ruin  trade  for  years,  to  cross  the  seas  to  France  and 
take  service  there." 

"  Scarce    spoken    like    a    peaceful    trader,"    the    landlord 


98  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

laughed ;  "  but  I  doubt  not  you  would  make  a  good  soldier, 
and  that  a  sword  would  suit  your  hand  to  the  full  as  well  as  a 
yard  measure.  Well,  it  makes  not  so  much  difference  to  me. 
Men  must  eat  and  drink,  and  though  my  wine  would  be  drunk 
up  without  payment,  and  I  should  have  to  run  the  risk  of  being 
killed  on  the  walls  if  the  English  came,  I  should  know  that  in 
a  short  time  men  would  come  and  go  as  before,  and  that  they 
will  drink  good  wine  if  they  have  money  to  pay  for  it,  and  in 
six  months  my  trade  would  be  as  brisk  as  ever ;  but  men  seem 
to  think  that  this  time  it  will  be  the  Scots  who  will  invade 
England,  for  the  English  barons  have  had  enough  of  wars  in 
France,  and  will  be  slow  in  furnishing  their  quota  when  called 
on,  and  that  we  shall  carry  fire  and  sword  through  the  north- 
ern counties." 

"  That  we  may  do,  though  Northumberland  and  Hotspur 
will  doubtless  have  something  to  say  to  it.  I  fear  it  will  be  as 
it  has  been  many  a  time  before.  Our  armies  will  march  back 
with  their  plunder,  the  news  of  the  damage  done  will  inflame 
all  England,  and  then  a  great  army  will  march  north.  The 
nobles  will  hasten  to  make  terms  for  themselves,  and  the  harm 
and  damage  will  fall  upon  quiet  people  who  had  nought  what- 
ever to  do  with  the  invasion." 

"  True  enough,  young  sir,  true  enough,  though  it  is  a  shame 
that  it  should  be  said.  Had  the  cities  a  voice  in  the  matter 
of  peace  and  war,  you  may  be  right  sure  that  we  should  hear 
no  more  of  invasions  and  troubles  from  this  side  of  the  border. 
I  say  not  that  there  would  be  peace,  for  the  claims  of  the  Eng- 
lish kings  to  authority  in  Scotland,  although  we  have  not  heard 
so  much  of  them  since  Bannockburn,  are  but  in  abeyance,  and 
the  first  time  that  there  is  really  peace  between  them  ana 
France,  you  may  be  sure  that  we  shall  hear  of  them  again, 
and  then  the  towns  as  well  as  the  country  would  join  heartily 
in  repelling  an  invasion." 


AT  DUNBAR  99 

"They  never  did  so  in  the  past  time,  Sanderson.  They 
generally  opened  their  gates  at  once,  or  if  they  closed  them  it 
was  because  there  was  a  strong  garrison,  under  some  knight 
or  noble  who,  and  not  the  townspeople,  had  the  say  in  the 
matter.  Now,  methinks,  I  will  to  bed,  for  I  have  had  a  long 
day's  travel." 

The  next  day  passed  without  any  message  from  the  earl, 
but  on  the  following  morning  one  of  the  retainers  from  the 
castle  came  in  with  the  message  that  the  earl  desired  the  pres- 
ence of  Mr.  Micklethwaite. 

Oswald  went  up  at  once.     The  earl  was,  as  before,  alone. 

"I  have  been  thinking,  Master  Forster,  that  it  would  be 
safer  both  for  you  and  for  me  were  you  to  tarry  here  for  a 
while.  You  came  through  safely,  it  is  true,  but  you  might  not 
have  such  good  fortune  on  your  return ;  and  even  though  I 
sent  no  written  answer,  it  would  be  enough,  were  Percy's  signet 
found  upon  you,  to  ensure  your  imprisonment  and  perhaps 
death.  At  any  rate  they  would  have  the  means  of  wringing 
from  you  the  mission  of  which  you  were  in  charge,  while  I 
could  send  equally  well  a  message  by  sea  as  I  did  before." 

"  I  see  that  there  might  be  some  slight  danger,  my  Lord 
Earl,"  Oswald  said  quietly,  "  but  I  as  well  as  another  might 
take  passage  down  by  ship  touching  at  Berwick  or  other  port." 

The  earl's  brow  clouded.  "  'T  is  a  matter  to  be  thought 
over,"  he  said  moodily.  "  A  ship  might  be  captured,  seeing 
that  there  are  often  French  freebooting  vessels  on  the  coast. 
And  what  were  your  orders  from  Lord  Percy  ?  " 

"That  I  was  to  return  immediately  I  had  conveyed  his 
message  to  you." 

"  I  would  gladly  hasten  your  departure,"  the  earl  said  after 
a  moment's  pause,  "  but  you  see  great  issues  hang  upon  this 
affair.  However,  I  will  think  the  matter  over  again,  and  will 
see  how  it  can  be  best  managed." 


100  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

After  leaving  the  castle,  Oswald  went  to  the  convent  where 
the  monk  was  lodged  and  asked  for  speech  with  brother  Roger. 
In  a  minute  or  two  the  latter  came  out. 

"Are  we  off,  young  master?  "  he  asked.  '•  In  truth,  it  is  as 
bad  here  as  at  Alnwick,  and  after  a  taste  of  liberty  I  am  long- 
ing to  be  out  again ;  and,  indeed,  I  have  had  some  trouble  in 
accounting  for  my  stay  here  instead  of  continuing  my  journey 
to  see  my  aged  father." 

"If  it  depended  upon  me  I  would  say  that  we  would  start 
forthwith,  but  what  I  have  somewhat  feared  all  along  has 
come  to  pass.  I  was  the  bearer  of  a  certain  message  of  much 
importance  from  Hotspur  to  the  earl,  and  I  fear  that  the  latter 
will  detain  me.  He  thinks  that  I  know  more  than  I  have 
said,  which  indeed  is  true,  and  likes  not  that  one  who  is  so 
entirely  cognisant  of  his  secret  counsels  and  intentions  should 
go  free.  He  put  it  down  to  the  fact  that  I  might  be  captured 
on  my  way  back  and  forced  to  confess  the  whole  details  of  the 
mission  with  which  I  am  charged.  It  is  possible  that  this  is 
so,  but  it  is  more  likely  that  he  dislikes  that  anyone  should 
know  secrets  that  concern  his  safety ;  and  although  he  has  not 
said  as  much  at  present,  I  believe  that  it  is  his  intention  to 
hold  me  here  as  prisoner,  though  doubtless  with  due  courtesy 
as  befits  Percy's  messenger  and  esquire,  until  affairs  come  to 
a  head,  which  may  not  be  for  a  year  or  two  yet." 

"  Is  there  a  guard  over  you  at  present?  " 

"  Not  that  I  know  of,  Roger,  but  it  may  be  that  the  inn  is 
watched.  At  any  rate,  he  would  try  to  overtake  me  did  I 
attempt  to  leave  without  his  permission." 

"Then,  Master  Oswald,  I  should  say  let  us  be  off  at  once." 

"  But  how,  Roger?  On  foot  we  should  be  speedily  over- 
taken, and  if  not  watched  at  present,  doubtless  I  shall  be,  after 
my  interview  with  the  earl  this  morning.  Were  I  to  try  and 
buy  horses  I  might  be  arrested  at  once.     However,  I   have 


AT   DUNBAR  101 

been  thinking  that  the  best  plan  would  be  for  you  to  go 
round  to  the  port  and  to  bargain  for  a  passage  for  us  to  Edin- 
burgh. Then  we  would  slip  on  board  quietly  half  an  hour 
before  she  sailed.  Methinks  it  were  as  well  that  you  did  not 
go  in  your  robes.  I  will  purchase  a  dress  suitable  to  a  cattle 
drover  for  you,  and  a  similar  one  for  myself.  I  will  bring 
yours  for  you  here  in  an  hour's  time  if  you  will  wait  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  gate  for  me.  Then  you  can  go  to  some  quiet 
spot  and  change  your  garments,  and  then  go  down  to  the  port. 
I  will  be  standing  at  the  door  of  my  inn,  and  as  you  pass  say, 
without  checking  your  pace,  the  hour  at  which  a  boat  sails  to- 
day or  to-morrow,  and  then  do  you  be  near  the  hotel  again  an 
hour  before  that  time.  Do  not  speak  to  me  as  I  come  out,  but 
keep  a  short  distance  behind  me,  and  if  you  see  that  I  am 
followed  by  anyone,  you  must  do  your  best  to  rid  me  of  him. 
You  had  better  bring  your  present  garments  along  with  you, 
they  may  be  useful." 

Roger  assented  joyously.  The  thought  that  at  any  rate  for 
a  time  he  was  to  get  rid  of  his  robes  filled  him  with  joy,  and 
the  possibility  that  there  might  be  danger  in  the  enterprise 
only  added  to  his  pleasure.  Feeling  the  need  for  great  care, 
Oswald  walked  for  some  little  time  before  entering  a  shop, 
passing  through  several  quiet  streets,  and  when  assured  that 
he  was  not  followed,  he  went  into  the  booth  of  a  clothier. 

"  I  have  occasion  for  two  suits  of  clothes  such  as  would  be 
worn  by  cattle  drovers,"  he  said.  "  I  am  about  to  travel,  and 
having  money  about  me  can  best  do  so  safely  in  such  a  gar- 
ment. I  want  one  suit  to  fit  me,  and  another  for  a  com- 
panion who  is  a  big  stout  man,  a  good  deal  above  the  ordinary 
height." 

"  'T  is  a  wise  precaution,  your  honour,  for  the  roads  are  by 
no  means  safe  at  present.  I  can  fit  you  with  ease,  and  will  pick 
out  the  largest  clothes  I  have  in  stock  for  your  companion." 


102  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

The  purchase  was  soon  made.  It  consisted  of  a  rough  smock 
of  blue  cloth  reaching  to  the  knees  and  girded  in  by  a  strap  at 
the  waist,  and  breeches  of  the  same  material  reaching  below 
the  knees,  with  strips  of  grey  cloth  to  be  wound  round  and 
round  the  leg  from  the  knee  to  the  ankle.  In  addition,  Oswald 
bought  two  pairs  of  rough  sandals  and  two  lowland  bonnets. 
Each  suit  was  done  up  at  his  request  in  a  separate  parcel,  and 
then,  retracing  his  steps,  he  joined  Roger  and  handed  his 
clothes  to  him. 

"  I  will  go  outside  the  gates  and  change  my  things,"  Roger 
said,  "  and  then  go  down  to  the  port.  I  will  then  come  to 
your  hotel  as  you  said.  If  no  ship  sails  until  to-morrow  I  have 
only  to  put  my  robe  on  over  these  garments  and  return  to  the 
convent.  If  there  is  one  sailing  this  evening  I  shall  not  go 
back  there  again,  but  will  be  on  the  look-out  for  you  half  an 
hour  before  the  boat  leaves  the  port." 

"  The  nearer  the  time  of  sailing  the  better,  Roger,  for  if  I 
am  watched,  and  there  is  any  trouble  with  the  man  who  follows 
me,  the  sooner  we  are  on  board  before  any  alarm  is  raised  the 
better.  But  I  should  hardly  think  a  boat  would  start  in  the 
evening." 

"I  don't  know,  Master  Oswald.  I  was  down  at  the  port 
yesterday  and  the  tide  was  high  at  three  o'clock,  and  methinks 
that  a  boat  would  put  out  an  hour  or  two  before  low  tide,  so 
as  to  take  the  water  with  it  as  far  as  New  Berwick  and  there 
catch  the  flood  flowing  into  the  Firth.  In  that  case  the  boat 
would  put  out  at  six  or  maybe  seven  o'clock." 

"  I  would  that  it  had  been  two  hours  later,  Roger.  After 
dark  it  were  easy  enough  to  silence  a  man  without  attracting 
much  attention,  but  in  broad  daylight  it  would  not  be  so  easily 
done." 

"  Not  if  we  went  straight  from  the  inn  to  the  port,  master, 
but  there  is  no  need  for  you  to  take  that  route." 


AT  DUNBAR  103 

"  You  are  right,  Roger.  Indeed,  it  would  be  better  not  to 
do  so,  for  were  they  to  have  an  idea  that  we  had  escaped  by 
water  the  earl  might  send  a  fast  boat  after  us.  Therefore, 
when  I  come  out  I  will  turn  off  and  go  by  unfrequented  streets 
and  lanes  in  the  opposite  direction.  In  that  way  you  will  be 
better  able  to  see  if  I  am  followed,  and  may  find  some  quiet 
place  where  you  can  give  a  man  a  clout  on  the  head  that  will 
rid  us  of  him." 

"  Will  you  come  out,  Master  Oswald,  in  your  present  attire, 
or  in  your  disguise  ?  " 

"  I  will  wear  this  cloak  and  head-gear,  and  will  put  these 
leggings  over  the  others,  so  that  I  shall  have  but  to  take  them 
off  and  fling  them  aside,  and  to  throw  off  my  cloak  and  cap  and 
put  on  this  bonnet,  all  of  which  will  not  take  a  minute  and  can 
be  done  in  a  doorway  or  passage  without  attracting  observa- 
tion. I  should  be  afraid  to  go  out  in  the  drover's  attire ;  the 
servants  at  the  inn  know  me  now,  and,  moreover,  a  man  of 
such  condition  would  not  think  of  going  to  the  Falcon.  Were 
I  to  be  noticed  coming  out  it  might  be  thought  that  I  had 
entered  it  for  some  evil  purpose." 

"  I  shall  be  on  hand,  master.  I  had  thought  of  not  return- 
ing to  the  monastery,  but  I  must  do  so,  for  I  have  left  my  staff 
there  and  it  will  be  as  suitable  for  a  drover  as  a  monk.  I  shall 
go  to  the  harbour  as  soon  as  I  have  seen  you,  and  if  it  is  this 
evening  a  boat  sails,  I  shall  go  back  at  once  and  bid  them 
farewell,  saying  that  a  ship  is  sailing  for  Leith,  and  that  I  have 
taken  passage  in  her." 

Oswald  returned  to  the  inn,  and  half  an  hour  later  went 
down  to  the  doorway,  where  he  stood  as  if  idly  watching  the 
flow  of  traffic.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  he  saw  Roger 
approaching.  He  looked  the  character  that  he  had  assumed 
to  the  life.  He  had  dirtied  his  hands  and  face,  and  smudged 
his  smock  with  stains  of  mud.     He  strolled  along  with  a  free 


104  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

step  and  head  erect.  He  did  not  look  at  Oswald  as  he  passed, 
but  said,  "  Boat  sails  at  seven  to-night." 

Oswald  stood  for  some  time  longer.  A  short  distance  down 
the  street  he  observed  two  of  the  earl's  retainers.  They  were 
standing  apparently  looking  at  the  goods  in  a  mercer's  window. 
After  a  time  they  moved  on  a  short  distance,  passed  the  inn 
and  stopped  again  to  look  in  another  shop  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  away.  Then  Oswald  left  the  door.  The  landlord  was 
standing  in  the  passage  and  beckoned  to  him  to  enter  his 
private  room. 

"Young  sir,"  he  said,  "I  know  not  whether  you  have  done 
anything  that  has  displeased  the  earl,  nor  is  it  any  business  of 
mine,  but  you  are  a  fair-spoken  young  gentleman,  and  I  would 
not  that  any  ill  came  to  you.  I  like  not  to  meddle  in  the 
earl's  affairs,  for  he  would  think  nothing  of  ordering  my  house 
to  be  burnt  over  my  head.  However,  I  may  warn  you  that  he 
is  making  inquiries  about  you.  One  of  his  retainers  has  been 
here,  two  hours  ago,  with  a  confidential  message  from  the  earl 
to  inquire  whether  you  had  said  anything  about  leaving,  and 
to  bid  me  send  a  message  to  him  secretly  should  you  do  so." 

"I  thank  you  warmly,  my  good  host,"  Oswald  replied.  "I 
have  had  no  quarrel  with  the  earl,  but  we  have  differed  as  to 
the  value  of  the  goods  he  requires.  He  would  fain  have  them 
at  last  year's  prices ;  but  wool  has  gone  up,  and  we  could  not 
sell  them  save  at  a  loss.  It  may  be  that  he  thinks  I  shall  go 
away,  and  that  if  he  finds  I  am  about  to  do  so  he  will  send  for 
me  and  agree  to  my  terms,  which  indeed  are  so  low  that  they 
leave  but  little  profit.  However,  it  were  well  that  you  should 
let  me  know  how  much  I  owe  you,  and  I  will  pay  that  at  once. 
Do  not  make  up  the  account,  but  tell  me  roundly  there  or 
thereabouts,  and  then  should  I  leave  suddenly  you  can  say 
truly  that  I  had  not  asked  for  my  bill,  and  that  you  were 
altogether  ignorant  of  my  intention  of  leaving." 


BACK   TO    HOTSPUR  105 

"There  can  be  no  occasion  for  that,"  the  host  said.  "You 
can  pay  me  the  next  time  you  come  should  you  decide  to  leave 
suddenly." 

"  Nay,  I  would  rather  settle  obligations,  for  if  I  do  not  do 
business  with  the  earl  it  may  be  some  time  before  I  return." 

The  landlord  made  rapid  calculations  and  named  a  sum, 
which  Oswald  at  once  handed  to  him,  with  warm  thanks  for 
the  warning  he  had  given  him. 

"  I  may  stay  here  three  or  four  days  longer,"  he  said  mean- 
ingly, "  as  the  earl  may  at  the  last  moment  come  to  an  agree- 
ment as  to  the  price  of  the  goods.  I  should  be  sorry  to  return 
to  my  uncle  without  getting  an  order,  for  the  earl  has  for  years 
been  one  of  our  best  customers." 

The  landlord  nodded.  "  I  understand,"  he  said.  "  It 
would  be  as  well,  perhaps,  that  you  should  say  as  much  in  the 
hearing  of  one  of  the  drawers,  so  that  if  questioned  I  shall  have 
a  witness  who  can  bear  me  out." 


CHAPTER   VII 

BACK   TO    HOTSPUR 

IT  was  still  broad  daylight  when  at  half-past  six  Oswald  left 
the  inn  and  sauntered  at  a  leisurely  pace  down  the  street. 
His  eye  at  once  fell  on  Roger's  tall  figure,  and  he  also  saw  two 
retainers  of  the  earl  loitering  about.  They  were  not  the  same 
men  he  had  seen  in  the  morning,  but  doubtless  had  relieved 
those  on  watch.  He  took  the  first  turning  off  the  main  street, 
and  after  passing  through  several  lanes  found  himself  at  the 
foot  of  the  town-wall.     A  narrow  lane  ran  between  it  and  a 


106  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

row  of  small  houses.  No  one  was  about,  and  he  thought  that 
Roger  would  take  advantage  of  the  loneliness  of  the  spot  to 
endeavour  to  rid  him  of  his  followers,  whose  footsteps  he  could 
hear  some  distance  behind  him.  Presently  he  glanced  care- 
lessly round.  The  men  were  some  thirty  or  forty  yards  behind 
him,  and  coming  up  with  them  at  a  rapid  step  was  Roger.  A 
minute  later  he  heard  a  voice  raised  in  anger. 

"Where  are  you  going,  fellow?  There  is  plenty  of  room 
to  pass  without  pushing  between  us.  You  want  teaching 
manners." 

Roger  gave  a  loud  laugh.  "  Who  is  going  to  teach  me  ?  " 
he  said. 

"  I  will  !  "  one  of  the  men  said,  angrily  placing  his  hand 
upon  his  sword-hilt. 

As  he  did  so  he  was  levelled  to  the  ground  by  a  tremendous 
blow  from  Roger's  staff.  With  a  shout  the  other  soldier  drew 
his  sword,  but  before  he  could  guard  himself  the  staff  again 
descended,  and  he  fell  senseless  beside  his  comrade.  Roger 
at  once  knelt  beside  them,  tore  off  strips  of  their  garments, 
and,  rolling  them  up,  pressed  them  into  their  mouths,  and  with 
string  which  he  had  brought  for  the  purpose  tied  them  in 
their  place  ;  then  taking  out  a  few  pieces  of  cord  he  tied  their 
hands  behind  them  and  their  ankles  together,  dragged  them 
into  a  dark  entry,  and  left  them  lying  there.  The  whole  trans- 
action had  occupied  but  two  or  three  minutes,  and  had 
attracted  no  attention  whatever.  The  soldiers'  shout  might 
have  been  heard,  but  there  was  no  clashing  of  weapons,  and  a 
shout  was  too  unimportant  a  matter  for  anyone  within  hearing 
to  take  any  trouble  about.  Oswald,  seeing  that  Roger  needed 
no  assistance,  had  occupied  himself  with  stripping  off  the 
outer  pair  of  leggings,  and  had  made  these,  with  his  cloak  and 
cap,  into  a  bundle,  and,  pressing  the  drover's  cap  down  over 
his  eyes,  was  ready  by  the  time  Roger  came  up  to  him. 


"WHO    rs    GOING    TO     I  EACH    Ml 


BACK   TO    HOTSPUR  107 

"  It  was  splendidly  managed,  Roger." 

"  It  did  well  enough,"  the  other  said  carelessly.  "  It  may 
be  an  hour  before  anyone  stumbles  over  them,  and  long  before 
that  we  shall  be  at  sea." 

They  made  their  way  back  through  quiet  lanes  until  near 
the  port,  and  then  boldly  went  down  to  the  side  of  a  small 
craft. 

"You  are  just  in  time,  my  men,"  the  skipper  said.  "In 
another  five  minutes  we  should  be  throwing  off  the  ropes  and 
hoisting  sails.  Now  that  you  have  come,  we  shall  do  so  at 
once.  The  tide  is  just  right  for  us,  and  we  have  nothing 
further  to  stop  for." 

The  boat  was  a  large  fishing  smack,  and  had  put  into 
Dunbar  but  that  afternoon  with  the  intention  of  disposing  of 
the  catch.  Two  others  had,  however,  come  in  still  earlier. 
The  market  being  glutted,  the  skipper  had  determined  to  take 
his  catch,  which  was  a  heavy  one,  on  to  Leith,  and  had  agreed, 
for  a  very  small  sum,  to  carry  the  two  drovers  to  that  port. 
Oswald  and  Roger  aided  in  getting  up  the  sails,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  smack  was  at  sea.  The  wind  was  from  the  south- 
west, and  the  boat  ran  rapidly  up  the  coast. 

"  The  earl  will  be  in  a  nice  way  when  he  finds  that  you  have 
gone,"  Roger  said  as  he  stood  in  the  stern  to  watch  the  rapidly 
receding  towers  of  Dunbar.  "  There  will  be  a  hot  hue  and  cry 
for  you.  The  earl  is  not  accustomed  to  be  thwarted,  and  they 
say  that  he  is  a  mighty  hot-tempered  man.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  as  soon  as  his  fellows  bring  him  word  of  what  has  hap- 
pened to  them,  and  he  finds  that  you  have  quitted  the  inn,  he 
will  send  parties  of  horse  out  to  scour  the  roads  to  Berwick 
and  Haddington,  and  to  search  the  country  far  and  near." 

"He  is  welcome  to  do  that,"  Oswald  said.  "My  fear  is, 
that  he  will  send  down  to  the  port  to  inquire  if  any  craft  put 
out  about   the  hour  at  which  his  men  were  attacked.     But 


108  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

even  if  he  does  so,  there  is  no  great  chance  of  our  being  over- 
taken. We  are  travelling  fast  and  in  another  hour  it  will  be 
dark,  and  long  before  daybreak  we  shall  reach  Leith,  having 
both  wind  and  tide  in  our  favour  all  the  way." 

They  kept  an  anxious  watch  as  long  as  there  was  light 
enough  for  them  to  make  out  if  a  vessel  left  Dunbar.  Both 
fancied  that  they  could  see  a  sail  just  as  twilight  was  falling, 
but  neither  could  be  sure  that  it  was  not  the  effect  of  imagina- 
tion. They  were  already  ten  miles  away,  and  as  the  tide  had 
now  begun  to  make  along  the  shore  it  was  certain  that  for 
some  time  at  least  a  ship,  however  fast  she  might  be,  would 
gain  but  little  upon  them  until  she  had  fairly  entered  the 
Firth.  There  would  be  no  moon,  and  even  should  she  over- 
take them  she  might  well  pass  them  in  the  dark.  When  they 
lay  down  they  agreed  that  they  would  keep  awake  in  turns, 
and  that  if  they  made  out  a  ship  apparently  pursuing  them 
they  would  offer  the  skipper  the  full  value  for  his  boat  and 
betake  themselves  to  it  and  row  for  shore. 

"The  greatest  danger,"  Roger  said,  "would  be  of  their 
passing  us  unseen  and  then  lying-to  near  the  entrance  of  the 
port  and  overhauling  us  as  we  came  in." 

"  That  is  a  danger  that  we  cannot  guard  against.  Can  you 
swim,  Roger?" 

"  It  is  years  since  I  have  done  so,"  the  monk  replied,  "  but 
I  used  to  do  so  in  the  old  days." 

"  There  is  an  empty  cask  here  by  my  side,"  Oswald  went 
on.  "  If  we  are  challenged,  the  best  plan  would  be  to  lower 
it  down  quietly  into  the  water  and  to  hold  on  by  it.  The  boat 
would  certainly  go  some  distance  before  she  had  lost  her  way 
and  brought  up,  and  we  should  be  out  of  sight  of  both  ships 
before  they  came  together." 

"  That  is  a  good  idea.  If  we  hear  a  hail  I  will  at  once  cut 
a  good  length  of  rope  and  twist  it  round  a  barrel  for  us  to  hold 


BACK   TO   HOTSPUR  109 

on  by.  But  I  don't  think  there  is  any  chance  of  our  being 
overhauled." 

"  I  agree  with  you  in  that  respect ;  still,  it  is  just  as  well  to 
have  our  plans  prepared  in  case  it  should  happen." 

They  kept  a  vigilant  watch  through  the  night  without  catch- 
ing sight  of  any  craft  proceeding  in  the  same  direction  as 
themselves. 

It  was  still  dark  when  the  helmsman  hailed  the  skipper, 
"  I  see  the  lights  of  Leith  ahead,"  and  later  they  passed  the 
beacon  fire  that  marked  the  entrance  to  the  port.  Five 
minutes  later  Oswald  and  his  companion,  after  paying  the 
sum  agreed  on,  stepped  on  shore. 

"  That  danger  is  over.  I  did  not  think  that  there  was  any 
real  cause  for  fear.  I  should  like  to  see  the  earl  as  his  bands 
of  horsemen  ride  in  to-day  with  the  news  that  they  can  hear 
nothing  of  us." 

"  I  should  like  to  hit  him  just  such  a  clout  with  my  staff  as 
I  gave  his  two  retainers,"  Roger  said.  "  Earl  as  he  is,  it  was 
scandalous,  and  contrary  to  all  usages,  to  arrest  a  messenger, 
especially  when  that  messenger  is  an  esquire  of  one  of  equal 
rank  to  himself,  and  his  message,  as  I  suppose,  a  friendly 
one." 

"  I  don't  so  much  blame  him.  He  had  no  means  of  judg- 
ing my  discretion,  and  the  consequences  to  him  and  others 
had  I  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Douglas,  or  those  of  a  marauding 
leader,  might  have  been  serious  indeed.  I  doubt  not  that,  had 
I  been  content  to  stay  with  him,  he  would  have  treated  me 
with  all  honour.  I  might  even  have  done  so,  and  have  got 
him  to  send  another  messenger  to  Percy,  but  the  latter  bade 
me  to  return  at  once,  and,  moreover,  said  that  he  had  another 
mission  as  soon  as  I  had  carried  the  present  one  to  a  successful 
termination." 

"  And  have  you  done  so,  Master  Oswald  ?  " 


110  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

u  Yes,  I  think  so,  Roger.  I  was  to  ascertain  the  earl's  real 
intentions  regarding  certain  matters,  and  I  think  that  he  means 
honestly  to  adhere  to  an  offer  he  made.  The  very  fear  that 
he  has  shown  lest  his  intentions  should  be  betrayed,  seems  to 
prove  that  he  is  most  anxious  that  nought  should  occur  to 
interfere  with  his  plans." 

"  The  Earls  of  Dunbar  have  ever  been  a  treacherous  race," 
Roger  said  earnestly,  "  and  ready  to  betray  their  own  country- 
men in  order  to  curry  favour  with  England  and  continue  in 
possession  of  their  estates.  However,  as  we  have  benefited 
from  it,  we  need  not  grumble  if  the  Scots  are  contented. 
Now,  Master  Oswald,  what  are  we  to  do  next  ? " 

"  I  should  say  that  we  had  better  find  a  corner  to  lie  down 
until  daybreak ;  I  don't  think  that  either  of  us  have  slept. 
Then  we  will  go  into  a  tavern  and  breakfast,  and  afterwards  go 
on  to  Edinburgh.  I  should  like  to  see  the  town  and  castle, 
and  the  chance  may  never  come  again  to  me.  Then  to-mor- 
row morning  we  will  start  in  earnest.  We  shall  have  plenty  of 
opportunities  to  talk  over  our  plans,  so  let  us  lose  no  time 
now  in  looking  for  a  bed." 

Fortunately,  they  soon  came  upon  some  fishing-nets  care- 
lessly piled  under  the  lee  of  a  stack  of  timber.  Here  they 
threw  themselves  down,  and  were  soon  fast  asleep.  When 
they  woke  the  sun  was  well  up.  Fishermen  were  preparing  to 
get  up  sail,  and  those  who  had,  like  themselves,  come  in  during 
the  night  were  commencing  to  unload  their  cargoes. 

"  Look  there  !  "  Oswald  exclaimed,  as  he  pointed  to  a  vessel 
from  whose  mast-head  floated  a  flag  with  the  arms  of  the  Earl 
of  March.  "  She  is  just  entering  the  port.  They  did  chase 
us  after  all,  you  see,  but  they  did  not  gain  on  our  fishing- 
boat." 

"  Well,  methinks  that  we  had  better  be  off  at  once,"  Roger 
said.      "  They  will  soon    learn  which   boat   has   come    from 


BACK   TO   HOTSPUR  111 

Dunbar,  and  find  out  from  the  men  what  were  the  disguises 
worn  by  us.  So  we  had  best  lose  no  time  in  getting  out  of 
Leith." 

"  They  would  never  dare  to  seize  us  here,"  Oswald  said. 

"  I  don't  know  that.  If  they  have  strict  orders  to  bring  us 
back  they  would  not  feel  much  hesitation  in  seizing  us  wher- 
ever they  found  us,  knowing  well  enough  that  the  burghers 
of  Leith  would  not  concern  themselves  greatly  about  the  cap- 
ture of  two  drovers,  who  would  probably  be  charged  with  all 
sorts  of  crime.  Were  it  one  of  their  own  citizens  it  would  be 
different ;  but  it  is  scarce  likely  that  the  burghers  would  care 
to  quarrel  with  a  powerful  noble  for  the  sake  of  two  strangers 
of  low  degree.  The  gates  will  be  open  before  this,  and  we 
shall  be  safer  in  Edinburgh  than  we  are  here." 

Accordingly  they  postponed  their  breakfast,  and,  passing 
through  the  town  without  a  pause,  issued  out  by  the  south 
gate,  and  walked  briskly  to  Edinburgh.  As  soon  as  they 
arrived  they  found  a  small  tavern,  and  partook  of  a  hearty 
meal.  Listening  while  they  ate  to  the  conversation  going  on 
around  them,  they  found  that  the  young  Duke  of  Rothesay 
was  at  present  staying  at  the  castle. 

"  Men  say  that  the  disputes  between  him  and  his  uncle,  the 
Duke  of  Albany,  have  of  late  grown  hotter." 

"  That  might  well  be,"  another  said.  "  Rothesay  is  a  man 
now.  He  has  shown  himself  a  brave  soldier,  and  it  is  not 
likely  that  he  would  support  with  patience  the  haughtiness 
and  overbearing  manner  of  Albany.  It  was  an  evil  day  for 
Scotland  when  our  good  king,  who  was  then  but  prince,  lamed 
himself  for  life,  and  so  was  forced  on  his  accession  to  leave  the 
conduct  of  affairs  to  Albany,  then  Earl  of  Fife.  The  king,  as 
all  men  know,  is  just  and  good,  and  has  at  heart  the  welfare  of 
his  subjects,  but  his  accident  has  rendered  him  unfit  to  take 
part  in  public  affairs,  and  he  loves  peace  and  quiet  as  much  as 


112  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

Albany  loves  intrigues  and  dark  and  devious  ways.  'T  is  a 
sore  pity  that  the  king  cannot  make  up  his  mind  to  throw 
himself  into  the  arms  of  Douglas,  and  call  upon  the  nobility 
to  join  in  expelling  Albany  from  his  councils,  and  to  give  the 
charge  of  affairs  into  the  hands  of  Rothesay,  or  even  to  bestow 
upon  him  the  kingly  dignity,  while  he  himself  retires  to  the 
peaceful  life  he  loves." 

"That  would  have  better  done,"  the  other  said,  "before 
the  young  duke  married,  for  many  of  the  nobles,  who  would 
have  otherwise  supported  him,  would  hold  aloof,  seeing  that 
the  accession  of  Rothesay  would  be  but  handing  over  the  real 
power  of  the  state  from  Albany  to  Douglas.  Men  say  that 
the  feud  between  March  and  Douglas  grows  hotter  and  hotter, 
and  that  the  boldness  with  which  March  upbraided  the  king  for 
the  breaking  off  by  Rothesay  of  his  marriage  with  Elizabeth  of 
Dunbar,  has  so  angered  him,  Rothesay,  and  Albany,  who  had 
aided  in  bringing  about  the  match  with  Elizabeth  Douglas, 
that 't  is  like  that  March  will  ere  long  be  arraigned  for  his  con- 
duct and  the  threats  that  he  uttered  in  his  passion." 

"Well,  gossips,  it  matters  little  to  us,"  an  elderly  man 
said,  "  whether  king  or  prince  or  duke  is  master,  we  have  to 
pay ;  and  assuredly,  were  Rothesay  king,  our  taxes  would  not 
abate,  seeing  that  he  is  extravagant  and  reckless,  though  I  say 
not  that  he  has  not  many  good  qualities.  But  these  benefit 
in  no  way  men  like  ourselves,  while  the  taxation  to  support 
extravagance  touches  us  all." 

There  was  a  murmur  of  assent  from  the  little  group  who 
were  talking,  who  struck  Oswald  as  being  farmers  who  had 
come  in  from  the  country  to  sell  cattle  to  the  butchers  of  the 
town.  They  were  interrupted  in  their  talk  by  the  landlord, 
who  came  across  to  them. 

"  My  good  friends,"  he  said,  "  I  pray  you  talk  not  so  loudly 
concerning  princes  and  nobles.     It  is  true  that  we  are  a  royal 


BACK   TO   HOTSPUR  113 

city,  and  that  the  burghers  of  Edinburgh  have  their  rights  and 
their  liberties,  nevertheless  it  were  dangerous  to  talk  loud  con- 
cerning nobles.  We  are  quiet  people  all,  and  none  here  wear 
the  cognisance  of  Douglas  or  Albany,  still,  it  would  do  me 
much  harm  were  it  reported  that  there  had  been  talk  here 
concerning  such  powerful  nobles,  and,  though  the  Douglas 
might  care  little  what  was  said  of  him,  methinks  that  there  are 
others  —  I  name  no  names  —  who  would  spare  neither  great 
nor  small  who  incurred  their  resentment." 

"  I  knew  not  that  we  were  talking  loudly,  John  Ker,  and 
methinks  that  none  save  the  two  men  at  the  near  table  have 
heard  our  words,  and  they  look  honest  fellows  enough.  Still, 
what  you  say  is  right,  and  while  we  may  talk  of  these  things 
by  our  firesides  'tis  best  to  keep  a  silent  tongue  while 
abroad." 

"  You  need  not  disquiet  yourself  about  us,"  Roger  broke  in, 
"  we  have  no  communion  with  lords  or  princes,  and  so  that  we 
can  drive  our  herds  safely  down  into  Cumberland,  we  care  not 
whether  one  noble  or  another  has  the  king's  ear.  We  have 
but  just  returned  from  England." 

"  Well,  man,  I  may  put  you  in  the  way  of  getting  a  job  if 
you  want  one,"  the  eldest  of  the  party  said.  "I  myself  have 
a  small  farm  near  Lavingston,  and  but  breed  cattle  for  the 
Edinburgh  market,  but  I  have  a  brother  at  Lanark  who  buys 
cattle  up  in  the  north,  and,  when  there  is  peace  between  the 
countries,  sends  the  droves  down  to  Carlisle  and  makes  a  good 
profit  on  their  sales.  I  saw  him  but  two  hours  ago,  and  he 
told  me  that  he  was  daily  expecting  a  lot  of  cattle  from  the 
north,  and  that  he  intended  to  send  them  on  without  delay  to 
Carlisle.  If  you  say  to  him  that  you  have  seen  me,  and  that 
I  recommended  you  to  call  on  him  and  see  if  he  wanted  any 
drovers  to  aid  in  taking  them  down,  I  doubt  not  he  will  take 
you  on  unless  he  has  already  engaged  men." 


114  BOTH   SIDES  THE    RORDER 

"I  thank  you  for  the  offer,"  Roger  said,  "but  our  home  lies 
near  Roxburgh,  and  we  intend  to  abide  there  for  a  time,  for 
the  roads  are  by  no  means  safe  at  present.  Douglas  is  think- 
ing more  of  his  quarrel  with  Dunbar  than  of  keeping  down 
border  freebooters.  We  escaped  them  this  time  ;  but  we  heard 
of  their  taking  heavy  toll  from  some  herds  that  followed 
us,  and  of  their  killing  two  or  three  drovers  who  offered  objec- 
tion, so  we  have  determined  to  abide  at  home  for  a  time  to 
see  how  matters  go." 

After  taking  a  brief  view  of  the  town,  they  started  in  the 
afternoon  to  walk  to  Dalkeith,  where  they  slept,  and  leaving 
there  at  daybreak  crossed  a  lofty  range  of  hills  and  came  down 
into  Lauderdale.  They  had  no  fear  of  any  interruption  such 
as  they  had  experienced  before  —  as,  had  Douglas  news  of 
negotiations  going  on  between  March  and  England,  he  would 
not  think  it  necessary  to  watch  the  road  between  Edinburgh 
and  the  border  —  and  late  in  the  evening  they  arrived  at  An- 
crum,  on  the  Teviot,  having  done  fully  fifty  miles  since  start- 
ing. Ten  miles  in  the  morning  took  them  to  Roxburgh. 
Here  they  put  up  at  a  small  tavern,  and  Oswald  donned  the 
servitor's  suit  that  he  had  brought  with  him  from  Dunbar, 
while  Roger,  to  his  great  disgust,  resumed  his  monk's  gown, 
which  he  put  on  over  the  drover's  suit.  Oswald  then  went  to 
the  governor's.  His  former  acquaintance  happened  to  be  at 
the  door,  and  endeavoured  to  atone  for  his  former  rudeness 
by  at  once  ushering  him  to  the  governor's  room. 

"Welcome  back,  Master  Forster  !  "  the  latter  said;  "your 
mission,  whatever  it  was,  is  speedily  terminated.  From  what 
you  said  I  had  not  looked  for  you  for  another  fortnight." 

"  If  I  had  not  come  when  I  did,"  Oswald  said,  "my  absence 
might  have  been  prolonged  for  months.  However,  all  has 
gone  well,  and  I  purpose  starting  at  once  for  Alnwick,  and 
would  fain  reach  Wooler  by  nightfall." 


BACK   TO    HOTSPUR  115 

"  That  you  can  do  easily  enough.  I  will  order  the  horses 
to  be  saddled  at  once." 

"  I  thank  you,  Sir  Philip.  I  will  mount  here  in  the  court- 
yard. I  care  not  now  what  notice  may  be  taken  of  me,  seeing 
that  there  is  but  some  ten  miles  to  be  ridden  to  the  frontier." 

"  Nor,  I  warrant  me,  will  you  meet  with  interference  on 
the  road,"  the  knight  said,  "I  have  not  heard  of  anyone  being 
stopped  for  toll  for  the  past  year  between  this  and  the  border." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  they  left  Roxburgh,  and  travel- 
ling at  an  easy  pace  arrived  at  Wooler  before  sunset,  and  on 
the  following  evening  entered  Alnwick.  They  could  have 
reached  it  earlier,  but  Oswald  thought  it  as  well  not  to  enter 
the  castle  until  after  dark,  as  he  did  not  wish  to  be  noticed  in 
his  present  attire.  Fastening  the  horses  to  hooks  in  the  court- 
yard, Oswald  ran  up  to  his  apartment,  which  was  next  to  that 
of  his  uncle. 

"  Welcome  back,  Oswald  !  "  the  latter  said,  as  he  opened  his 
door  on  hearing  his  footstep.  "  I  had  thought  that  you 
would  be  longer  away." 

"  I  am  back  sooner  than  I  expected,  uncle.  Will  you  order 
supper  to  be  brought  up  here  for  Roger  and  myself;  we  are 
both  hard  set,  though,  indeed,  we  had  a  meal  of  bread  and 
cheese  at  noon  at  a  wayside  tavern." 

"Brother  Roger  has  behaved  well?  " 

"  Excellently ;  he  has  cracked  but  two  sconces  since  we 
left,  and  these  were  on  my  behalf.  He  will  sleep  on  some 
rushes  in  my  room  to-night ;  he  hates  the  thought  of  returning 
to  the  monastery,  and  has  begged  me  most  earnestly  to  ask 
Percy  to  continue  him  in  his  employment." 

As  soon  as  Oswald  had  donned  his  ordinary  attire  he  went 
to  Lord  Percy's  quarters. 

"  You  are  back  sooner  than  I  had  expected,  Oswald,"  Hot- 
spur said  as  he  entered;  "  nothing  has  gone  wrong,  I  hope?" 


116  BOTH  SIDES  THE    BORDER 

"  Nothing,  my  lord,  but  I  was  forced  to  leave  Dunbar  after 
but  three  days'  stay  there,  for  the  earl  was  so  fearful  that  I 
might  be  detected  on  my  way  back  that  he  would  have 
retained  me  with  him  until  the  time  for  action  came,  sending 
down  another  messenger  by  sea  to  you.  As  your  orders  were 
to  return  with  all  speed  I  gave  him  the  slip  and  made  my  way 
back  as  quickly  as  possible." 

"And  March?" 

"  I  think  that  the  earl  is  in  earnest  in  his  professions,  my 
lord,  and  that  you  can  rely  upon  him  for  such  aid  as  he  can 
render;  but  from  what  I  heard  in  Edinburgh  —  " 

"In  Edinburgh!"  Hotspur  said  in  surprise;  "what  took 
you  there  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you,  my  lord ;  but  the  point  is  that  men  said 
openly  there,  that  there  was  a  report  that  he  would  be  attainted 
and  deprived  of  his  land  for  treasonable  words  spoken  by  him 
to  the  king,  the  Duke  of  Albany,  and  the  Duke  of  Rothesay. 
If  this  is  so,  he  will  have  to  fly,  for  assuredly  he  has  at  present 
no  force  gathered  that  could  resist  those  of  the  king  and 
Douglas." 

"Give  me  an  account  of  what  has  happened,"  Hotspur  said, 
frowning.  "  I  feared  that  March's  impetuous  temper  would 
lead  him  into  trouble  before  we  were  in  a  position  to  march  to 
his  assistance,  and  I  heard  rumours  of  a  stormy  scene  between 
him  and  Rothesay  when  he  learned  that  he  had  been  fooled, 
but  I  knew  not  that  the  king  himself  was  present." 

Oswald  related  the  story  of  his  journey  and  the  interruption 
on  the  moor,  and  the  reports  that  he  had  afterwards  heard  of 
the  stoppage  of  all  travellers  coming  from  the  south  by  the 
same  band. 

"The  leader  was  evidently  above  the  rank  of  an  ordinary 
marauder,  and  his  followers  obeyed  him  as  men-at-arms  would 
obey  an  officer ;  and  it  seemed  to  me,  my  lord,  that  Douglas 


BACK   TO    HOTSPUR  117 

must  have  heard  a  vague  report  that  the  earl  was  in  communi- 
cation with  England,  and  sought  to  intercept  some  messenger 
on  whom  he  might  find  a  letter,  or  from  whom  he  could 
extract  proofs  of  the  earl's  treachery." 

"Tis  like  enough,"  Hotspur  said.  "When  a  man  is  so 
rash  as  to  upbraid  the  king,  and  still  more  Albany,  he  must 
needs  fall  under  suspicion.     Now  go  on  with  your  story." 

When  Oswald  had  brought  his  narration  to  an  end,  Percy 
said  :  "  You  have  done  very  well,  Oswald,  and  have  deserved 
the  confidence  that  I  placed  in  you.  You  have  shown  much 
circumspection,  and  you  did  well  in  escaping  from  Dunbar  as 
you  did.  The  mad  monk,  too,  seems  to  have  behaved  well. 
I'  doubted  your  wisdom  in  taking  him,  but  he  has  certainly 
proved  a  useful  fellow." 

"  I  would  petition,  my  lord,  that  you  should  continue  him  in 
your  service,  and  that,  should  you  employ  me  upon  another 
mission,  you  will  again  allow  me  to  take  him  with  me.  He  is 
a  shrewd  fellow  as  well  as  a  stout  one,  and  I  could  wish  for  no 
better  companion ;  though  I  own  that,  since  he  put  on  his 
gown  again  at  Roxburgh  and  rode  hither,  his  spirits  have 
greatly  failed  him." 

"  I  will  arrange  that  with  the  abbot,"  Hotspur  said ;  "  but 
tell  him  that  while  he  is  here  he  must  continue  to  wear  his 
robe.  His  face  is  too  well  known  for  him  to  pass  as  a  man- 
at-arms  without  being  recognised  by  half  the  garrison.  The 
Lord  Abbot  would  well  object  to  one  of  his  monks  turning  into 
a  swaggering  man-at-arms  at  his  very  door.  At  any  rate,  I 
shall  tell  the  abbot  that  if  he  will  consent  quietly  to  the  monk's 
unfrocking  himself  until  he  can  obtain  for  him  release  from  his 
vows,  I  will  send  him  away  to  one  of  the  other  castles,  whence 
I  can  fetch  him  if  you  need  him  to  accompany  you  on  any 
errand,  and  where  he  can  form  part  of  the  regular  garrison. 
But  the  knave  must  be  informed  that  it  were  best  that  he  say 


118  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

nought  about  his  former  profession,  and  that  he  comport  him- 
self as  quietly  as  is  in  his  nature.  I  will  give  him  a  small 
command  as  soon  as  may  be ;  for  although  a  very  bad  monk, 
he  has  proved  himself  to  be  a  good  soldier." 

"  I  thank  you  greatly,  my  lord,"  Oswald  said,  "  and  will  talk 
seriously  to  the  monk,  who  will  be  delighted  when  he  hears  that 
the  abbot  will  take  steps  to  allow  him  to  lay  aside  his  gown." 

Roger  was  indeed  delighted  when  he  heard  the  news,  and 
still  more  so  when,  three  days  later,  Oswald  informed  him  that 
Hotspur  had  obtained  from  the  abbot  what  was  practically  a 
release  from  his  vows.  The  good  abbot  said  that  he  felt  that 
harm  rather  than  good  would  ensue  from  keeping  the  monk  a 
member  of  the  monastery. 

"  He  infects  the  lay  brothers  with  his  talk,"  he  said.  "  He 
is  a  good  instructor  in  arms,  but  he  teaches  not  as  one  who 
feels  that  it  is  a  dire  necessity  to  carry  arms,  but  as  one  who 
delights  in  it.  Moreover,  he  causes  scandals  by  his  drinking 
bouts,  and  does  not  add  to  the  harmony  of  the  place.  At  a 
time  like  this,  when  the  Scots  may  at  any  moment  fall  across 
the  border,  such  a  fellow  may  do  good  service  to  his  country, 
and  it  is  surely  better  that  a  man  should  be  a  good  soldier 
than  that  he  should  be  a  bad  monk.  Therefore  I  will  let  him 
go,  my  lord ;  but  keep  him  away  from  here.  It  would  be  a 
grave  scandal  were  he  to  be  brawling  in  the  town,  where  he  is 
known.  Therefore,  I  pray  you,  take  him  elsewhere.  I  have 
striven  long  to  make  him  a  worthy  member  of  his  order,  but 
I  feel  that  it  is  beyond  me ;  and  it  would  be  best,  therefore, 
that  he  should  go  his  own  way.  He  may  come  to  be  a  worthy 
soldier,  and  so  justify  me  in  allowing  him  to  unfrock  himself. 
As  he  is  abiding  in  your  castle,  I  pray  you  bid  him  present 
himself  here  to-morrow.  I  would  fain  speak  to  him,  and  give 
him  such  advice  concerning  his  future  conduct  as  may  be  of 
benefit  to  him." 


BACK   TO   HOTSPUR  119 

When  Roger  returned  from  the  monastery  the  next  day  he 
wore  a  much  more  serious  face  than  usual. 

"  The  abbot  has  done  me  more  good  by  his  talk  this  morn- 
ing," he  said  to  Oswald,  "  than  by  all  the  lectures  and  pen- 
ances he  has  ever  imposed  on  me.  In  truth  he  is  a  good 
man,  and  I  had  half  a  mind  to  say  that  I  would  return  to  the 
convent  and  do  my  best  to  comport  myself  mildly  and  becom- 
ingly. But  I  felt  that  it  would  not  do,  Oswald,  the  thing  is 
too  strong  for  me,  and,  however  I  might  strive,  I  know  that 
when  the  temptation  came  I  should  break  out  again,  and  so 
I  held  my  peace." 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you,  Roger?  " 

"He  said  many  things,  but  the  gist  of  it  was  that  there 
were  as  good  men  outside  the  walls  of  a  monastery  as  there 
were  within  it,  and  that  a  soldier  has  as  many  opportunities 
—  indeed  many  more  opportunities  —  of  showing  himself  a 
good  man  as  a  monk  has.  In  battle,  he  said,  a  soldier  must 
act  as  such  and  fight  stoutly  against  the  enemy,  and  take  life 
as  well  as  risk  his  own ;  but  after  the  fight  is  over  he  should 
show  himself  merciful,  and  if  he  cannot  follow  out  the  precept 
to  love  his  enemies,  he  should  at  least  be  compassionate  and 
kind  to  them.  But  above  all,  he  should  never  oppress  the 
helpless,  should  comport  himself  honourably  and  kindly  to 
women  and  children,  and,  if  necessary,  draw  sword  in  their 
defence  against  those  who  would  ill-use  them.  And  though 
the  spoils  of  war  were  honourable  and  necessary  when  cap- 
tured in  fair  fight,  yet  the  oppression  and  robbery  of  the  poor 
were  deadly  crimes. 

" '  Comport  yourself  always,  Roger,  as  if,  though  a  soldier 
in  arms,  you  were  still  a  monk  at  heart.  You  are  brave  and 
strong,  and  may  rise  to  some  honour ;  but  whether  or  no,  you 
may  bear  yourself  as  if  you  were  of  gentle  blood  and  wore 
knightly  spurs.     Not  all  who  are  so  are  honourable  and  merci- 


120  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

ful,  as  they  have  vowed  to  be.  Remember,  I  shall  hear  of  you 
from  time  to  time  through  my  Lord  Percy,  and  that  it  will 
gladden  me  to  have  a  good  account  of  you,  and  to  feel  that  I 
have  not  done  wrong  in  letting  you  go  forth  from  this  house  of 
rest  to  take  part  in  the  turmoil  and  strife  of  the  world.'  He 
said  more  than  this,  but  this  is  the  pith  of  it.  I  knelt  down 
and  swore  that  I  would  strive  to  the  utmost  in  my  power  to  do 
as  he  bade  me,  and  he  put  his  hands  on  my  head  and  bade  me 
go  in  peace ;  and  I  tell  you  I  mean  to  prove  to  him  that  his 
words  have  not  been  in  vain." 

Two  days  later  Oswald  started  with  Roger,  and  rode  to 
Warkworth  Castle,  some  ten  miles  away,  bearing  an  order  to 
the  governor  to  add  Roger  to  the  strength  of  the  garrison, 
telling  him  that  he  had  shown  himself  to  be  a  brave  soldier 
and  a  skilful  one,  and  that  he  could  place  confidence  in  him 
and  appoint  him  to  any  sub-command  that  might  become 
vacant.  On  the  way  they  entered  a  wood.  Here  Roger  took 
off  his  monastic  garb  and  clad  himself  in  armour  such  as  was 
worn  by  the  garrison  of  Alnwick.  The  monk's  clothes  were 
made  up  into  a  bundle  and  left  in  the  wood,  Oswald  saying, 
"  I  will  carry  them  back  with  me  on  my  return,  Roger.  It 
may  be  that  they  may  come  in  useful  yet  if  you  and  I  travel 
together  again  in  the  Percys'  service." 

A  month  passed,  and  then  the  Earl  of  March  came  by  sea  to 
Alnwick.  Douglas  and  the  regent  had  marched  against  him 
with  an  overwhelming  force,  and  as  they  were  both  personal 
enemies  he  knew  that  his  fate  would  be  sealed  if  he  fell  into 
their  hands,  and  he  had  therefore  been  driven  to  declare 
himself  openly  as  a  vassal  of  the  English  king.  On  the  day 
after  his  arrival  he  happened  to  be  in  Hotspur's  room  when 
Oswald  entered. 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  "  he  said,  "  this  is  your  messenger,  Percy.  You 
left  me  with  scant  notice,  sir."     And  he  smiled. 


jack,  io  Horsiv:  121 

"  I  was  forced  to  do  so,  my  lord  earl,  for  in  truth  I  was  not 
sure  that  you  would  not  prevent  me  from  following  my  lord's 
orders  to  return  after  seeing  you." 

"  You  were  right.  In  the  first  place  I  was  not  sure  that  you 
were  a  true  messenger,  and  in  the  second  place  I  feared  that 
you  might  on  return  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Douglases,  who 
would  speedily  find  means  to  wring  from  you  an  account  of 
your  mission.  Therefore  I  thought  that  it  were  best  that  you 
should  tarry  a  while  with  me  at  Dunbar.  The  young  fellow 
has  a  good  head,  Lord  Percy,  and  is  as  hard  to  hold  as  a  wild- 
cat. I  put  the  matter  of  watching  him  into  the  hands  of  two 
or  three  of  my  men  whose  wits  I  have  tried  more  than  once, 
and  know  them  to  be  among  the  most  trustworthy  of  my 
followers.  This  lad,  however,  outwitted  them,  —  how,  they  have 
never  been  able  to  explain  ;  but  my  fellows  were  found  trussed 
up  like  fowls  for  roasting,  in  an  alley  into  which  they  had  been 
thrown,  having,  as  they  declared,  been  knocked  down  by  a 
giant  fellow,  who  sprung  from  they  knew  not  where,  just  as 
they  were  about  to  lay  hands  upon  your  messenger.  After 
they  had  vanished  none  had  seen  him  pass  the  walls,  and  we 
judged  that  he  must  have  started  in  a  craft  that  sailed  up  the 
Forth.  Fearing  that  if  they  landed  he  might  speedily  fall  into 
the  hands  of  Douglas,  I  sent  a  vessel  in  chase,  but  they  missed 
him ;  and  indeed  from  that  time  to  this  I  knew  not,  save  by 
your  letter  to  me,  whether  he  had  reached  here  safely." 

After  a  short  stay  the  Earl  of  March  was  about  to  return  to 
Dunbar,  when  he  heard  that  the  king  himself  was  coming  north 
with  an  army  for  the  invasion  of  Scotland,  and  would  then 
confer  with  him  and  consider  the  terms  on  which  he  proposed 
to  transfer  his  allegiance  to  him. 

A  month  later  the  king  arrived  at  Alnwick,  and  there  George 
Dunbar,  Earl  of  March,  entered  into  an  agreement  with  him, 
in  which  he  renounced  all  fealty  to  the  King  of  Scotland,  in 


122  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

consideration  for  which  he  was  granted  an  estate  in  Lincoln- 
shire and  other  revenues.  It  was  also  agreed  that  the  subjects 
of  the  King  of  England  should  support  the  earl  in  time  of 
necessity,  and  should  be  supported  by  him  and  received  into 
his  fortresses. 

He  was  not  now  in  a  position  to  render  any  very  efficient 
aid  to  the  king,  for  Robert  Maitland,  his  nephew,  to  whom  he 
had  committed  the  castle  of  Dunbar,  had  been  summoned  by 
Douglas,  who  had  marched  there  with  a  strong  force  by  order 
of  the  king,  and  had  surrendered  the  stronghold  to  him.  How- 
ever, he  brought  Dunbar's  wife  and  family,  and  a  considerable 
force  of  his  retainers,  safely  across  the  border.  He  and  Percy 
together  then  made  a  raid  into  the  Douglas  territory,  and  pene- 
trated as  far  as  Haddington,  and  collected  much  spoil  from  the 
country  round.  Douglas,  however,  came  suddenly  upon  them 
in  great  force,  and  they  were  obliged  to  retreat  hastily  across 
the  frontier  again,  abandoning  their  baggage  and  booty. 

The  king's  invasion  was  no  more  satisfactory.  The  Earl  of 
March  was  unable  to  place  Dunbar  in  his  hands,  and  as  the 
Scots  declined  battle  in  the  open  he  laid  siege  to  Edinburgh, 
but  without  success.  Dunbar  being  closed  to  him,  he  was 
unable  to  obtain  provisions,  and  was  forced  to  fall  back  to 
England,  having  accomplished  nothing. 

During  his  invasion  he  had  shown  much  more  leniency  than 
had  been  the  custom  with  his  predecessors.  He  had  taken 
what  was  necessary  to  support  the  army,  but  had  abstained 
from  wasting  the  country,  destroying  villages  and  towns,  and 
slaughtering  the  country  people ;  and  so  far  from  embittering 
the  animosity  between  the  two  nations  he  had  produced  a 
better  state  of  feeling,  and  a  truce  was  in  consequence  con- 
cluded for  a  year  at  Kelso  by  special  commissioners  from  both 
kings  on  the  21st  of  December,  1400. 


LUDLOW   CASTLE  123 

CHAPTER  VIII 

LUDLOW   CASTLE 

OSWALD  FORSTER  had  not  been  present  when,  in  June, 
1400,  the  king  arrived  at  Alnwick.  A  few  days  after  the 
coming  of  the  Earl  of  March,  Hotspur  received  a  letter  from 
Sir  Edmund  Mortimer,  the  brother  of  his  wife,  asking  him  to 
send  a  body  of  men-at-arms  under  an  experienced  captain  who 
could  aid  him  to  drill  newly-raised  levies,  for  that  one  Owen 
Glendower  had  taken  up  arms  against  the  Lord  Grey  de 
Ruthyn,  and  that  turbulent  men  were  flocking  to  his  standard, 
and  it  was  feared  that  serious  trouble  might  ensue.  Percy 
was  in  a  position  to  send  but  few  men,  for  with  war  with  the 
Scotch  imminent  he  could  not  weaken  himself  by  sending  off 
a  large  force.     However,  he  sent  for  Alwyn  Forster. 

"  I  need  twenty  picked  men  for  the  service  of  Sir  Edmund 
Mortimer,  Alwyn.  I  would  send  more  were  it  not  for  the 
position  of  affairs  here.  What  say  you  to  taking  the  command 
of  them?" 

"  I  would  gladly  do  so,  my  lord,  if  it  be  that  there  is  a 
chance  of  something  more  lively  than  drilling  hinds  and 
turning  them  into  men-at-arms,  which  has  been  my  business 
for  years  now,  without  a  chance  of  striking  a  blow  in  earnest." 

"  I  think  that  there  will  be  a  certainty  of  fighting,  Alwyn. 
The  Welshmen  are  growing  troublesome  again,  and  Sir  Ed- 
mund thinks  that  there  may  be  tough  work  on  the  Welsh 
marches,  and  has  written  to  me  for  aid.  With  the  king  com- 
ing hither,  there  is  a  chance  that  the  Earl  of  March  and  my- 
self will  open  the  war  by  harrying  the  Douglas's  lands.  I  can 
spare  no  great  force,  but  even  twenty  tried  men-at-arms  would 
no  doubt  be  welcome.      As  the  king  is  going  to  march  into 


124  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

Scotland,  there  is  no  fear  that  there  will  be  any  serious  inva- 
sion by  the  Scots,  and  therefore  you  can  be  spared  for  a  while. 
I  think  not  that  any  of  my  knights  would  care  to  go  in  com- 
mand of  so  small  an  array,  but  I  thought  that  you  might  like 
to  take  it." 

"  I  shall  be  right  glad  to  do  so,  my  lord." 

"  I  shall  send  your  nephew  with  you.  He  is  a  shrewd  and 
gallant  young  fellow,  and  I  know  he  would  far  rather  be  tak- 
ing part  in  active  service  against  the  Welsh  than  spending  his 
time  in  idleness  here.  He  has  been  too  long  used  to  a  life  on 
horseback  to  rest  contented  to  be  cooped  up  in  a  castle. 
Besides,  there  will  be  a  good  opportunity  of  distinguishing  him- 
self, and  of  learning  something  of  a  warfare  even  wilder  and 
more  savage  than  that  in  these  northern  marches." 

"  I  should  like  much  to  have  him  with  me,  my  lord.  Me- 
thinks  that  he  has  the  making  of  a  right  good  knight ;  and, 
young  as  he  is,  I  am  sure  that  his  head  is  better  than  mine, 
and  I  should  not  be  too  proud  to  take  counsel  of  him  if  needs 
be." 

"That  is  settled  then,  Alwyn.  Choose  your  men  and  set 
off  to-morrow  morning.  Ralph  Peyton,  your  lieutenant,  shall 
take  the  command  of  the  garrison  until  you  return." 

Oswald  was  delighted  when  his  uncle  told  him  of  the  mis- 
sion with  which  he  was  charged,  and  that  he  himself  was  to 
accompany  him. 

"  You  are  to  have  the  choice  of  the  men-at-arms,  uncle  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Oswald.  I  know  what  you  are  going  to  say.  You 
would  like  to  have  that  mad  monk  of  yours  as  one  of  them." 

"  That  should  I,  uncle.  You  have  no  stouter  man-at- 
arms  in  all  your  band,  and  he  has  proved  that  he  can  be 
discreet  when  he  chooses,  and  did  me  good  service  in  my  last 
expedition." 

"Very  well,  lad,  we  will  take  him.     I  will  send  one  of  the 


LUDLOW   CASTLE  125 

men  over  at  once  for  him  to  join  us  on  the  road  to-morrow. 
I  shall  choose  young  and  active  fellows,  of  whom  we  have 
plenty.  I  have  never  fought  against  the  Welsh ;  but  they  are 
light-footed  and  agile,  and  their  country  is  full  of  hills  and 
swamps.  The  older  men  would  do  as  good  service  here  were 
the  castle  besieged  in  our  absence,  of  which,  however,  there  is 
but  slight  chance  ;  but  for  work  against  the  Welsh  they  would 
be  of  little  use." 

Hotspur  himself  spoke  to  Oswald  that  evening. 

"Here  is  a  missive  to  give  to  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer.  I 
have  commended  you  to  him,  telling  him  that,  though  young, 
there  is  not  one  of  my  squires  in  whom  I  could  more  implicitly 
trust,  and  that  you  had  carried  out  a  delicate  mission  for  me 
with  rare  discretion  and  courage.  Your  uncle,  as  an  old 
retainer  and  a  good  fighter  and  the  captain  of  my  garrison, 
goes  in  command  of  the  men-at-arms,  and  in  regular  fighting 
one  could  need  no  better  officer ;  but  in  such  warfare  as  that 
against  the  Welsh  is  like  to  be,  yours  will  be  the  better  head 
to  plan,  and  as  my  squire  you  will  represent  me ;  I  have  spe- 
cially commended  you  to  him  as  one  always  to  be  depended 
upon." 

"  I  am  greatly  beholden  to  your  lordship,"  Oswald  said, 
"  and  will  try  to  justify  the  commendations  that  you  have 
given  me." 

At  daybreak  on  the  following  morning  the  little  party  rode 
out  from  the  castle.  Oswald  with  his  uncle  rode  in  front,  the 
former  in  the  highest  spirits,  while  the  sturdy  old  soldier  was 
himself  scarce  less  pleased  at  this  change  from  the  monotony 
of  life  in  garrison. 

"  Years  seem  to  have  fallen  off  my  shoulders,  lad,"  he  said, 
"  and  I  feel  as  young  as  I  did  when  I  fought  at  Otterburn." 

"  That  was  a  bad  business,  uncle,  and  I  trust  that  no  such 
misfortune  as  that  will  befall  us  this  time." 


126  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

"  I  hope  not  indeed,  Oswald.  It  was  a  sore  fight,  and  we 
are  scarce  likely  to  have  a  pitched  battle  with  these  Welsh 
carls.  They  fight  not  much  in  our  fashion  as  I  have  heard, 
but  dash  down  from  their  hills  and  carry  fire  and  sword 
through  a  district,  and  are  off  again  before  a  force  can  be 
gathered  to  strike  a  blow.  Then  there  are  marches  to  and 
fro  among  their  hills,  but  it  is  like  chasing  a  will-o'-the-wisp, 
and  like  enough  just  when  you  think  you  have  got  them 
cooped  up,  and  prepare  to  strike  a  heavy  blow,  they  are  a 
hundred  miles  away  plundering  and  ravaging  on  our  side  of 
the  frontier.  They  are  half-wild  men,  short  in  stature,  and 
no  match  for  us  when  it  comes  to  hand-to-hand  fighting,  but 
broad  in  the  shoulder,  tireless,  and  active  as  our  shaggy  ponies, 
and  well-nigh  as  untamable.  'T  is  fighting  in  which  there  is 
little  glory  and  many  hard  knocks  to  be  obtained,  but  it  is  a 
good  school  for  war.  It  teaches  a  man  to  be  ever  watchful 
and  on  his  guard,  prepared  to  meet  sudden  attacks,  patient 
under  difficulties,  and,  what  is  harder,  to  be  able  to  go  without 
eating  or  drinking  for  a  long  time,  for  they  say  that  you 
might  as  well  expect  to  find  corn  and  ale  on  the  crest  of  the 
Grampians  as  you  would  on  the  Welsh  hills." 

"The  prospect  doesn't  look  very  pleasant,  uncle,"  Oswald 
laughed.  "  However,  their  hills  can  scarcely  be  more  barren 
than  ours,  nor  can  they  be  quicker  on  the  stroke  than  the 
border  raiders,  and  for  such  work  we  of  the  northern  marches 
have  proved  far  more  useful  than  the  beefy  men  of  the  south." 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt ;  and  maybe  that  for  that  reason  Sir 
Edmund  prayed  Hotspur  to  send  a  detachment  to  his  aid,  for 
he  would  know  that  we  are  accustomed  to  a  country  as  rough 
and  to  a  foe  as  active  as  he  has  now  to  meet.  I  wonder  what 
has  stirred  up  the  Welsh  now,  knowing  as  they  do  that  although 
they  may  gain  successes  at  first,  it  always  ends  in  the  harrying 
of  their  lands  and  the  burning  of  their  castles  and  villages. 


LUDLOW   CASTLE  127 

They  have  been  quiet  for  some  years.  But  they  are  always  like 
a  swarm  of  bees ;  they  will  work  quietly  enough  till  they  take 
offence  at  something,  then  they  will  pour  out  in  a  fury,  attack- 
ing all  they  come  across,  and  caring  nothing  about  death,  so 
that  they  can  but  prick  an  enemy  with  their  stings.  Maybe 
it  is  the  report  that  the  king  is  engaging  in  another  Scotch  war, 
and  they  think  that  it  is  a  good  time  to  gather  spoil  from  their 
neighbours.  They  used  to  be  mightily  given  to  warring  among 
themselves,  but  of  late  I  have  heard  but  little  of  this. 

"  It  is  a  hundred  years  now  since  they  were  really  trouble- 
some, and  rose  under  Morgan  ap  Madoc,  and  Edward  II. 
had  himself  to  reduce  them  to  submission,  and  build  strong 
castles  at  Conway,  Beaumaris,  and  other  places.  There  have 
been  one  or  two  partial  risings  since  then,  but  nothing  of  much 
consequence.  It  may  well  be  that  the  present  generation,  who 
have  not  themselves  felt  the  power  of  English  arms,  may  have 
decided  to  make  another  stroke  for  independence,  and  if  so, 
it  will  need  more  than  Mortimer's  force  or  that  of  the  other 
border  barons  to  bring  them  to  reason,  and  as  for  our  little 
detachment,  it  will  be  but  a  drop  in  the  ocean.  However,  it 
may  be  that  this  is  a  mere  quarrel  between  Mortimer  and  some 
of  his  neighbours.  I  have  heard  somewhat  of  the  Welshman 
Owen  Glendower,  who  lives  in  those  parts.  He  has  a  griev- 
ance against  Lord  Grey  of  Ruthyn,  who,  as  he  says,  unjustly 
seized  a  small  estate  of  his.  I  know  that  he  petitioned  Parlia- 
ment for  redress,  but  that  his  petition  was  lately  refused." 

'*  'T  is  strange  that  such  a  man  should  have  known  enough  of 
English  law  to  have  made  a  petition  to  our  Parliament." 

"  Yes ;  but  he  is  no  common  man.  He  went  to  England  and 
studied  at  our  universities,  and  even  lived  in  the  inns  of  court, 
and  learned  the  laws  of  this  country.  Then,  strangely  enough, 
he  became  an  esquire  in  the  household  of  King  Richard,  and 
did  good  service  to  him,  and  when  the  court  was  broken  up  on 


128  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

Richard  being  dethroned,  he  went  away  to  his  estate  in  Wales. 
Since  then  I  have  not  heard  of  him,  save  as  to  this  dispute 
with  Lord  Grey  and  his  petition  to  Parliament  thereon ;  but 
men  who  were  at  Richard's  court  have  told  me  that  he  was  a 
courteous  gentleman  of  excellent  parts  and,  it  was  said,  of 
much  learning." 

"  Such  a  man  might  be  a  formidable  enemy,"  Oswald  said, 
"  and  if  he  has  been  robbed  by  Lord  Grey,  he  might  well  head 
an  insurrection  to  recover  his  estates  from  that  noble." 

In  the  course  of  their  ride  they  were  joined  by  Roger,  who 
warmly  thanked  Alwyn  for  having  selected  him  as  one  of  his 
band.  The  other  soldiers  received  him  heartily,  for  the  fight- 
ing monk  had  been  a  familiar  personage  at  Alnwick,  and  his 
mighty  strength  and  jovial  disposition  rendered  him  very 
popular  among  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison.  There  had  been 
general  satisfaction  among  them  when  it  was  known  that  he 
had  laid  aside  his  monk's  gown  and  had  become  one  of  the 
Percys'  men-at-arms,  and  there  had  been  many  expressions  of 
regret  that  he  had  been  sent  off,  instead  of  forming  one  of  the 
garrison  of  Alnwick.  Two  or  three  of  them  addressed  him  as 
usual  as  monk,  but  he  said  : 

"  Look  here,  comrades,  I  have  been  a  monk,  and  a  bad  one, 
and  the  less  said  about  it  the  better.  I  am  no  longer  a  monk, 
but  a  man-at-arms,  and  as  I  am  not  proud  of  my  doings  as  a 
monk,  I  have  given  up  the  title  as  I  have  given  up  the  garb. 
Therefore  I  give  fair  notice  that  whosoever  in  future  shall 
address  me  as  monk  will  feel  the  weight  of  my  arm.  My 
name  is  Roger,  and  as  Roger  let  me  be  called  henceforth."  So 
saying,  he  fell  into  his  place  in  the  line,  when  the  cavalcade 
continued  their  way. 

The  journey  was  a  long  one.  Oswald  had  been  well  supplied 
with  funds,  and  seldom  found  difficulty  in  obtaining  lodgings 
for  the  party.     The  sight  of  an  esquire  with  a  small  troop  of 


LUDLOW    CASTLE  129 

men-at-arms  wearing  the  Percy  cognisance  excited  no  curiosity 
as  they  rode  south,  but  when  they  turned  westward  it  was 
otherwise,  and  at  their  halting-places  Oswald  and  his  uncle, 
who  dined  apart  from  the  others,  were  always  questioned  as 
to  their  destination.  But  when  it  was  known  that  they  were 
travelling  to  the  castle  of  Mortimer,  whose  sister  was  the  wife 
of  their  lord,  none  were  surprised,  for  rumours  were  already 
current  of  troubles  on  the  Welsh  border ;  and  when  they 
entered  Shropshire  they  heard  that  Owen  Glendower  with  a 
considerable  force  had  fallen  suddenly  upon  the  retainers  of 
Lord  Grey  de  Ruthyn,  had  killed  many,  and  had  reocccupied 
the  estates  of  which  he  had  been  deprived  by  that  nobleman. 
On  the  fifteenth  day  after  leaving  Alnwick  they  arrived  at 
Ludlow  Castle,  of  which  Mortimer  was  the  lord.  Oswald  was 
at  once  conducted  to  the  hall  where  the  knight  was  sitting. 

"  I  am  bearer  of  a  message  from  Sir  Henry  Percy,"  he  said  ; 
"  he  has  sent  hither  a  party  of  twenty  men-at-arms  under  the 
command  of  the  captain  of  his  garrison  at  Alnwick." 

"  I  had  hoped  for  more,"  the  knight  said,  taking  the  missive 
and  opening  it ;  "  but  I  can  understand  that  now  the  king  is 
marching  against  Scotland  Percy  cannot  spare  troops  to  de- 
spatch so  long  a  distance.  I  trust  that  he  and  my  sister,  his 
wife,  and  the  earl  are  in  good  health?" 

"  I  left  them  so,  sir." 

The  knight  read  Hotspur's  letter. 

"  He  speaks  in  terms  of  high  commendation  of  you,  young 
sir,"  he  said  as  he  laid  the  letter  down  on  the  table.  "Such 
commendation  is  rarely  bestowed  on  one  so  young.  I  mar- 
velled somewhat,  when  you  entered,  that  Sir  Henry  Percy 
should  have  sent  so  young  a  squire,  but  from  what  he  says  I 
doubt  not  that  his  choice  is  a  good  one  ;  and  indeed  it  is  plain 
that  your  muscles  have  had  rare  exercise,  and  that  you  can 
stand  fatigue  and  hardship  better  than  many  older  men.     It  is 


130  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

like  that  you  will  have  your  share,  for  the  whole  border  seems 
to  be  unsettled.  You  have  heard  that  this  Glendower  has 
boldly  attacked  and  driven  out  Lord  Grey's  retainers  from  the 
estates  he  had  taken. 

"As  to  the  rights  of  that  matter  I  have  nought  to  say. 
Lord  Grey  manages  the  affairs  with  the  Welsh  in  his  own 
county  of  Denbighshire  and  along  the  north,  and  I  keep  their 
eastern  border,  and  I  meddle  not  with  his  affairs  nor  he  with 
mine.  I  know  that  this  Glendower  is  a  supporter  of  King 
Richard,  of  whom  there  are  many  tales  current,  some  saying 
that  he  escaped  from  Pomfret,  and  is  still  alive,  though  I  doubt 
not  that  the  report  that  he  died  there  is  true.  We  know  that 
there  is  in  Scotland  a  man  whom  it  pleases  Albany  to  put  for- 
ward as  Richard,  but  this,  methinks,  is  but  a  device  to  trouble 
our  king.  Whether  this  Glendower  believes  in  this  man  or 
not  I  know  not,  but  certain  it  is  that  he  would  embrace  any 
opportunity  to  prove  his  hostility  to  Henry,  whom  he  professes 
to  regard  as  a  usurper.  Whether  it  is  on  account  of  his  hold- 
ing such  opinions,  and  foolishly  giving  expression  to  them,  that 
Lord  Grey  thought  fit  to  seize  his  estates  I  know  not,  nor  in- 
deed do  I  care.  Now,  however,  that  the  man  has  taken  up 
arms,  and  by  force  has  dispossessed  Lord  Grey,  the  matter 
touches  all  of  us  who  are  responsible  for  the  keeping  of  peace 
in  the  Welsh  marches. 

"  Were  it  only  a  quarrel  between  Lord  Grey  and  this  man, 
it  would  matter  but  little,  but  from  all  I  hear  he  exercises  a 
strange  influence  over  his  countrymen,  who  deem  that  he  has 
mysterious  powers,  and  can  call  up  spirits  to  aid  him.  For 
myself,  I  have  never  known  an  instance  where  necromancy  or 
spirits  have  availed  in  any  way  against  stout  arms  and  good 
armour,  but  such  is  not  assuredly  the  opinion  of  the  unlearned 
either  in  this  country  or  in  Wales.  But  these  mountaineers 
are  altogether  without  learning,  and  are  full  of  superstitions. 


LUDLOW   CASTLE  131 

Even  with  us  a  man  more  learned  than  the  commonalty  is 
deemed  by  them  to  dabble  in  the  black  art,  and  it  may  well  be 
that  this  reputation  Glendower  has  obtained  is  altogether  due 
to  the  fact  that  he  has  much  knowledge,  whereas  the  people 
have  none.  However  that  may  be,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
Welsh  people  are  mostly  ignorant,  and  that  at  the  call  of  this 
Glendower  men  from  all  parts  are  hastening  to  join  his  banner. 
Even  on  this  side  of  the  border  there  are  complaints  that  the 
Welsh  servants  are  leaving,  not  openly  and  after  a  due  termi- 
nation of  sendee,  but  making  off  at  night  and  without  a  word 
of  warning. 

"  All  this  would  seem  to  showr  that  there  is  trouble  on  hand, 
and  it  behoves  us  to  be  watchful,  and  to  hold  ourselves  in 
readiness  lest  at  any  time  they  should,  as  in  the  days  of  old, 
cross  the  border,  and  carry  fire  and  sword  through  Shropshire 
and  Hereford.  The  royal  castles  in  Wales  could  doubtless 
hold  out  against  all  attacks,  but  the  garrisons  would  have  to 
remain  pent  up  within  their  walls  until  succour  reached  them. 
Fortunately  most  of  them  are  situated  near  the  sea,  and  could 
be  relieved  without  the  troops  having  to  march  through  places 
where  a  heavily  armed  man  can  scarce  make  his  way,  and 
where  these  active  and  half-clad  Welshmen  can  harass  them 
night  and  day  without  ever  giving  them  a  chance  of  coming  to 
close  quarters.  A  messenger  from  Lord  Grey  arrived  here 
yesterday.  Indeed,  since  the  attack  on  his  retainers  we  have 
been  in  constant  communication.  At  first  he  made  light  of 
the  matter,  and  said  that  he  should  like  to  have  the  Welshman 
hanging  from  the  battlements  of  his  castle,  but  during  the  last 
week  his  messages  have  been  less  hopeful.  Glendower  had 
disappeared  from  the  neighbourhood  altogether,  leaving  a  sort 
of  proclamation  to  Lord  Grey  affixed  to  the  door  of  his  house, 
saying  that  next  time  he  heard  of  him  no  mercy  would  be 
shown,  and  every  man  would   be  slain.     He   now  says  that 


132  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

rumours  reach  him  of  large  gatherings  and  that  there  are  bon- 
fires nightly  on  the  hill-tops.  He  doubts  not  that  the  troubles 
will  soon  be  suppressed,  but  admits  that  much  blood  may  have 
to  be  spilt  ere  it  is  done.  I  can  bear  testimony  to  the  bon- 
fires, for  from  the  top  of  the  keep  a  dozen  can  be  seen  any 
night  blazing  among  the  hills." 

"  Of  course,  sir,  your  messenger,  asking  Lord  Percy  to  send 
a  body  of  men-at-arms  here,  was  despatched  before  Glendower's 
attack  on  Lord  Grey?  " 

"  Certainly ;  but  it  is  three  months  now  since  Parliament 
refused  Glendower's  appeal  for  justice  against  Lord  Grey,  and 
rumours  have  been  busy  ever  since.  Some  said  that  he  was 
travelling  through  the  valleys,  accompanied  by  some  of  the 
harpers,  who  have  always  taken  a  leading  part  in  stirring  up 
the  Welsh  to  insurrection.  Some  avow  that  he  has  retired  to  a 
fortress,  and  was  there  weaving  designs  for  the  overthrow  of 
Lord  Grey,  and  even  of  the  whole  of  the  English  castles.  Some 
say  that  he  claims  to  be  a  descendant  of  Llewellyn,  and  the 
rightful  king  of  Wales.  There  is  some  foundation  for  this,  for 
I  have  talked  to  some  of  the  better  class  of  Welsh,  who  have, 
like  Glendower,  studied  in  our  universities.  The  Welsh  are, 
above  all  things,  fond  of  long  pedigrees,  and  can  trace,  or 
pretend  to  trace,  the  lineage  of  all  their  principal  families  up 
to  Noah ;  and  some  of  them  admit  that  there  is  some  ground 
for  the  claim  Glendower  is  said  to  have  made. 

"  Still,  all  these  rumours  make  me  feel  uneasy.  As  we  have 
had  many  years  of  quiet  here,  it  has  not  been  necessary  to 
keep  up  more  than  a  sufficient  number  of  men-at-arms  for  the 
defence  of  this  castle.  I  might  have  increased  the  force,  for 
the  people  of  these  parts  bear  a  deep  animosity  against  the 
Welsh,  and  dread  them  greatly,  as  they  may  well  do  from  the 
many  wrongs  and  outrages  they  have  suffered  at  their  hands. 
One  reason  why  I  have  not  taken  on  many  men  since  the  talk 


LUDLOW   CASTLE  133 

of  coming  troubles  began  is  that,  close  to  the  border  as  we  are, 
many  have  connections  with  the  Welsh  by  business  or  marriage, 
and  these,  if  enrolled  in  the  garrison,  might  serve  as  spies,  and 
give  warning  of  any  movement  we  might  undertake.  I  had 
hoped  that  Percy  could  have  spared  me  a  hundred  good  men- 
at-arms.  I  would  rather  have  had  his  men  than  others,  because 
they  have  been  trained  in  border  warfare  by  the  constant 
troubles  in  Scotland,  and  would,  moreover,  come  to  me  with  a 
better  heart  than  others,  since  Sir  Henry's  wife  is  my  sister, 
and  it  is  therefore  almost  a  family  quarrel  upon  which  they 
have  entered. 

"  Had  I  known,  when  I  wrote,  that  the  king  was  on  his  way 
north,  I  should  have  taken  steps  to  raise  my  strength  else- 
where, as  of  course  Percy  would  have  occasion  to  use  every 
lance  he  could  muster.  Lord  Grey  has  sent  off  a  messenger  to 
the  king  begging  him  to  denounce  this  fellow  as  an  outlaw, 
and  should  he  be  troublesome,  he  himself  may,  after  he  has 
done  with  the  Scots,  send  hither  a  force,  for  although  we  may 
hope,  with  the  aid  of  the  levies  of  the  border  counties,  to 
drive  back  the  Welsh  in  whatever  force  they  may  come,  't  is 
another  thing  to  march  into  the  mountains.  The  matter  has 
been  tried  again  and  again,  and  has  always  taxed  the  power  of 
England  to  the  utmost. 

"  'T  is  of  no  use  lamenting  over  spilt  milk,  but  for  my  part 
I  regret  that  Parliament  did  not  give  a  fair  hearing  to  Glen- 
dower's  complaint  against  Lord  Grey.  The  refusal  to  do  so 
was  a  high-handed  one.  It  has  driven  this  man  to  desperation, 
and  has  enlisted  the  sympathies  of  all  Welshmen  who  have 
English  neighbours  ;  for  they  cannot  but  say  among  themselves, 
'  If  he  is  to  be  plundered  and  despoiled  and  his  complaints 
refused  a  hearing,  what  is  to  prevent  our  being  similarly  de- 
spoiled? 'T  is  surely  better  to  take  up  the  sword  at  once  and 
begin  again  the  fight  for  our  independence.'     As  it  is,  it  may 


134  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

cost  thousands  of  lives,  immense  efforts,  and  vast  trouble  before 
things  are  placed  on  their  former  footing.  Doubtless  the  cap- 
tain of  the  men-at-arms  you  have  brought  is  a  good  soldier, 
since  Percy  says  that  he  is  captain  of  his  garrison  at  Alnwick?  " 

"  He  bears  a  high  reputation  in  Northumberland,  Sir  Ed- 
mund. I  may  say  that  he  is  my  uncle,  and  't  is  from  his 
recommendation  that  Lord  Percy  in  the  first  place  took  me 
into  his  household." 

"  I  will  go  down  and  speak  with  him,"  the  knight  said.  "  I 
gave  orders,  as  soon  as  I  heard  who  had  arrived,  that  proper 
entertainment  should  be  given  to  all ;  yet  it  is  but  right  that 
I  should  myself  go  down  to  thank  them  for  having  come  so  far, 
and  to  welcome  their  captain,  whose  experience  will  be  of  no 
small  use  to  my  own  men,  who  have  never  been  engaged  in 
border  war.  Some  have  fought  in  France,  but  under  conditions 
so  different  that  their  experience  will  aid  them  but  little,  save, 
indeed,  if  the  Welsh  grow  so  strong  and  so  bold  that  they 
venture  to  attack  this  castle." 

Percy's  men,  when  the  knight  descended,  had  indeed  sat 
down  to  supper  with  the  retainers  of  the  castle,  while  Alwyn 
was  being  entertained  by  the  captain  of  his  men-at-arms.  All 
rose  to  their  feet  when  Sir  Edmund  entered,  but  he  waved 
his  hand  to  them  to  be  seated. 

"  Finish  your  meal,"  he  said,  "  and  afterwards  if  you  will 
muster  in  the  court-yard  I  will  inspect  you  and  see  what  stout 
Northumberland  men  Lord  Percy  has  sent  me."  He  then 
went  up  to  the  top  of  the  keep  with  Oswald,  pointed  out  the 
distant  hills,  and  told  him  what  valleys  and  villages  lay  among 
them,  and  the  direction  in  which  such  roads  as  there  were  ran. 
By  the  time  they  had  descended,  Percy's  men  were  drawn  up 
in  the  court-yard. 

"This  is  my  uncle,  Captain  Alwyn  Forster,"  Oswald  said, 
"of  whom  Lord  Percy  has  written  to  you." 


LUDLOW  CASTLE  135 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  so  stout  a  soldier  here,"  the  knight  said, 
holding  out  his  hand  to  Alwyn,  "  and  I  am  grateful  to  Lord 
Percy  for  sending,  in  answer  to  my  request,  one  in  whom  he 
has  such  perfect  confidence  :  and  I  specially  thank  you  for 
having  willingly  relinquished  so  important  a  post,  to  head  so 
small  a  following." 

"  I  was  glad  to  come,  Sir  Edmund,  for  I  had  rested  so  long 
at  Alnwick  that  I  longed  for  some  brisk  action,  and  fell  gladly 
into  my  lord's  view  when  he  requested  me  to  come  hither.  I 
can  answer  for  my  men,  for  they  are  all  picked  by  myself  from 
among  the  stoutest  of  Sir  Henry's  following." 

"That  I  can  well  believe,"  the  knight  said,  as  he  looked  at 
the  twenty  troopers.  "  Tall,  strong  men  all,  and  as  brave  as 
they  are  strong,  I  doubt  not.  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  so  stout 
a  band  to  ride  behind  me  if  these  Welshmen  break  out.  You 
are  all  accustomed  to  border  warfare,  but  this  differs  a  good 
deal  from  that  in  Northumberland.  While  the  northern  forays 
are  mostly  made  by  horsemen,  it  is  rare  that  your  Welshman 
adventures  himself  on  horseback.  But  they  are  as  active  as 
your  wild  ponies,  and  as  swift,  and  if  the  trouble  increases  they 
will  give  you  plenty  to  do.  I  learn  from  your  lord's  letter  that 
you  will  be,  as  usual,  under  pay  from  him  while  you  are  with 
me.  I  shall  pay  you  as  much  more.  'T  is  meet  that  if  you 
render  me  service  I  should  see  that  you  are  comfortable  and 
well  contented." 

There  was  a  murmur  of  satisfaction  among  the  men,  and 
after  recommending  them  to  the  care  of  the  captain  of  the 
garrison,  and  bidding  Alwyn  speak  in  the  name  of  his  men 
fearlessly  for  anything  that  should  be  lacking,  Sir  Edmund 
left  the  court-yard.  The  seneschal  of  the  castle,  Sir  John 
Wyncliffe,  requested  Oswald  to  follow  him.  He  first  showed 
him  the  chamber  in  one  of  the  turrets  that  he  was  to  occupy, 
and  then  took  him  down  to  the  hall,  where  two  other  knights, 


136  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

four  esquires,  and  two  or  three  pages  were  assembled  in  readi- 
ness for  the  supper.  Mortimer,  with  his  wife  and  two  daugh- 
ters, presently  came  down  and  took  his  place  at  the  head  of 
the  table,  at  which  the  others  sat  down  in  order  of  their  rank. 
As  a  guest,  Oswald  was  placed  among  the  knights.  Before 
sitting  down,  Sir  Edmund  presented  him  to  his  wife  and 
daughters. 

"This  is  one  of  Sir  Henry  Percy's  esquires,"  he  said,  "and 
can  give  you  more  news  of  Sir  Percy's  wife,  of  whom,  beyond 
saying  that  she  sends  her  greetings  to  you  all,  Hotspur  tells  us 
nothing." 

"Have  you  been  long  a  member  of  Sir  Henry  Percy's 
household?" 

"  But  a  year,  my  lady." 

"  Hotspur  speaks  of  him  in  very  high  terms,  and  says  that 
he  has  rendered  him  great  services,  and  that  he  has  the 
highest  confidence  in  him." 

"To  what  family  do  you  belong,  sir?"  the  dame  asked. 
"  From  my  husband's  sister  who  was  staying  here  some 
months  since,  I  learned  much  of  your  northern  families." 

"  I  am  the  son  of  John  Forster  of  Yardhope,  who  has  the 
reputation  of  being  as  hard  a  fighter  as  any  on  the  border. 
He  is  not  a  knight,  though  of  fair  estates ;  for,  although  Earl 
Percy  offered  him  knighthood  for  his  services  at  the  battle  of 
Otterburn,  he  said  that  he  preferred  remaining  plain  John 
Forster,  as  his  fathers  had  been  before  him.  My  mother  was 
a  daughter  of  Sir  Walter  Gillespie,  and  my  uncle  is  captain  of 
the  garrison  of  Alnwick,  and  it  was  for  his  good-will  towards 
him  and  my  father  that  Sir  Henry  appointed  me  one  of  his 
esquires,  thinking,  moreover,  that  I  might  be  more  useful  than 
some,  because  I  know  every  foot  of  the  border,  having  rela- 
tions on  the  Scottish  side  of  it." 

They   now   sat    down  to    supper.     After  it  was  over,  Sir 


LUDLOW   CASTLE  137 

Edmund  took  Oswald  with  him  to  his  wife's  bower.  "There," 
he  said,  "  you  can  talk  at  your  ease,  and  tell  us  how  my  sister, 
your  mistress  is,  and  the  children." 

"  Did  you  not  say,  Sir  Edmund,"  his  wife  asked,  "  that  it 
was  the  captain  of  his  men-at-arms  that  Sir  Hotspur  sent 
hither  in  command  of  the  band?" 

"That  is  so,  dame." 

"  Then  surely  he  should  have  been  at  our  table." 

"  I  asked  him,"  Sir  Edmund  replied,  "  but  he  said  that  htf 
would  rather,  with  my  permission,  lodge  with  John  Baldry, 
who  is,  like  himself,  a  stout  soldier,  but  who  likes  better  hisr 
own  society  than  that  of  the  high  table.  He  said  that  except 
upon  rare  and  special  occasions  he  always  has  been  accus- 
tomed  to  take  his  meals  alone  or  with  some  comrades  whom 
he  could  take  to  his  room.  As  this  is  also  John  Baldry'a 
habit,  he  prayed  me  to  allow  him  to  accept  his  invitation  to 
share  his  room." 

"  What  he  says  about  his  habits  is  true,  my  lady.  I  can 
well  understand  my  uncle  cares  not  for  company  where  it 
would  not  be  seemly  for  him  to  raise  his  voice  or  to  enter  into 
a  hot  argument  on  some  point  of  arms." 

"  What  were  the  services  of  which  Sir  Henry  speaks?  " 

"  It  was  a  mission  with  which  he  charged  me,  and  which 
involved  some  danger." 

"By  the  way,"  Dame  Mortimer  said,  "my  sister-in-law 
wrote  to  me  some  time  since,  telling  us  of  a  strange  conflict 
that  was  held  between  one  of  the  squires  and  another  who 
had  been  newly  appointed,  and  who  on  one  of  the  mountain 
ponies  worsted  his  opponent,  although  the  latter  was  much 
older,  and  moreover  clad  in  full  armour  and  riding  a  heavy 
war-horse.     Was  it  you  who  were  the  victor  on  that  occasion?  " 

"  I  can  scarce  be  said  to  have  been  the  victor,  my  lady.  It 
was  indeed  hardly  a  combat.     But  I  maintained  that  one  ac- 


138  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

customed  to  the  exercises  in  use  among  our  border  men,  and 
mounted  on  one  of  our  ponies  accustomed  to  move  with  great 
rapidity  and  to  turn  and  twist  at  the  slightest  movement  of 
the  rider's  knee,  would  be  a  match  for  a  heavy-armed  knight 
in  single  combat,  although  a  number  would  have  no  chance 
against  the  charge  of  a  handful  of  mailed  knights,  and  Sir 
Henry  put  it  to  the  proof  at  once." 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE   WELSH    RISING 

FOR  a  time  the  garrison  at  the  castle  had  but  little  to  do. 
Lord  Grey  had  taken  no  steps  to  recover  the  estates  from 
which  his  retainers  had  been  so  unceremoniously  ejected.  He 
had,  indeed,  marched  a  strong  force  through  them,  but  the 
Welsh  had  entirely  withdrawn,  and  it  would  be  necessary  to 
keep  so  large  a  force  unemployed,  were  he  to  reoccupy  the 
land,  that  he  abstained  from  taking  any  decisive  action  prior 
to  the  return  of  the  messenger  whom  he  had  despatched  to 
inform  the  king  of  the  forcible  measures  that  Glendower  had 
taken  to  recover  the  estate.  It  would  have  been  no  trifling 
step  to  take  to  carry  his  arms  into  Wales,  and  so  bring  on  a 
fresh  struggle  after  so  many  years  of  peace,  and  he  would  not 
move  in  the  matter  until  he  had  the  royal  authority. 

Henry  lost  no  time  in  replying.  Glendower  had  been  an 
open  supporter  of  Richard,  and  had  retired  from  court  rather 
than  own  his  successor  as  king.  He  had  made  his  complaints 
against  Lord  Grey  before  Parliament,  and  his  appeal  had  been 
rejected  by  an  overwhelming  majority.  His  attack  upon  Lord 
Grey  was  therefore  viewed    in  the  light   of  an  insult  to  the 


THE    WELSH    RISING  139 

royal  power,  and  a  fortnight  after  Oswald  and  his  party 
arrived  at  Sir  Edmund's  a  messenger  arrived  with  a  royal 
order  to  all  barons  holding  castles  on  the  border  to  proclaim 
Owen  Glendower  an  outlaw,  and  to  take  all  measures  neces- 
sary to  capture  him.  Sir  Edmund  shook  his  head  as  he  read 
the  proclamation,  copies  of  which  were  to  be  fixed  to  the 
castle  gate  and  in  other  conspicuous  places. 

"  Lord  Grey  has  stirred  up  a  fire  that  it  will  be  difficult  to 
extinguish.  It  were  as  wise  to  kick  over  a  hive  of  bees  when 
naked  to  the  waist  as  to  set  Wales  in  a  ferment  again.  Had 
this  proclamation  been  sent  to  me  only,  I  would  have  taken  it 
upon  myself  to  hold  it  over  until  I  had  myself  made  a  journey 
north  to  see  the  king,  and  to  submit  to  him  my  views  on  the 
subject,  and  to  point  out  how  dire  might  be  the  consequences 
to  the  inhabitants  of  our  marches,  and  how  great  would  be  the 
effort  required  if  Glendower  should  be  supported  by  the  whole 
of  his  countrymen,  as  I  believe  he  will  be.  However,  as  it  has 
been  sent  to  all  the  keepers  of  the  marches,  this  cannot  be 
done,  and  I  shall  at  once  send  orders  to  the  sheriffs  of  Shrop- 
shire and  Hereford  to  warn  the  militia  that  they  may  be  called 
out  at  any  moment  and  must  hold  themselves  in  preparedness, 
having  every  man  his  arms  and  accoutrements  in  good  condi- 
tion and  fit  for  service  according  to  the  law.  I  shall  also 
issue  orders  to  my  own  tenants  to  be  ready  to  take  up  arms, 
and  to  drive  their  herds  away,  and  bring  their  wives  and 
families  into  the  castle,  as  soon  as  the  beacon  fire  is  lighted 
on  the  summit  of  the  keep." 

This  was  said  to  Oswald,  to  whom  Sir  Edmund  had  taken 
a  strong  liking,  and  to  whom  he  spoke  more  freely  than  he 
might  have  done  to  his  own  knights  and  officers,  as  being  in 
Earl  Percy's  service  and  having  no  personal  interest  in  the 
matters  in  debate. 

"  You  yourself  have  heard  the  tales  that  have  been  brought 


140  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

in  to  me,  showing  how  greatly  the  people  have  been  stirred  by 
the  belief  in  Glendower's  powers  of  necromancy ;  how  blue 
flames  have  been  seen  to  issue  from  every  window  and  loop- 
hole of  his  house ;  how  red  clouds  of  various  strange  shapes 
hover  over  it,  and  mysterious  sounds  are  heard  throughout  the 
night.  For  myself,  I  believe  not  these  tales,  though  I  would 
not  take  upon  myself  to  say  they  are  false,  since  everyone 
knows  that  there  are  men  who  have  dealings  with  the  powers 
of  darkness ;  still,  I  should  have  myself  to  see  these  things 
before  I  gave  credence  to  them.  That,  however,  makes  no 
difference  in  the  matter ;  true  or  not,  they  seem  to  be  believed 
by  the  Welsh,  and  cannot  but  increase  his  power.  Well,  we 
shall  soon  hear  what  reply  he  makes  to  the  proclamation, 
of  which  he  will  certainly  hear  within  a  few  hours  of  its 
posting." 

The  answer,  indeed,  was  not  long  in  coming,  for  within  a 
week  a  copy  of  the  reply  sent  by  Glendower  to  the  king  ap- 
peared side  by  side  with  every  proclamation  put  up,  none 
knowing  who  were  daring  enough  to  affix  them.  In  this, 
Glendower  no  longer  spoke  of  his  grievance  against  Lord  Grey, 
but  declared  that  with  the  will  of  the  people  he  had  assumed 
the  sovereignty  of  Wales,  to  which  he  was  legally  entitled  by 
his  descent  from  her  kings.  He  called  upon  every  Welshman 
in  England  to  resort  at  once  to  his  standard. 

"  The  die  is  cast  now,"  Sir  Edmund  said,  as  he  read  the 
paper  affixed  to  the  castle  gate.  "  It  is  no  longer  a  question 
whether  Glendower  is  wrongfully  treated  by  Lord  Grey,  it  is 
a  matter  touching  the  safety  of  the  realm  and  the  honour  of 
our  lord  the  king.  There  is,  I  have  now  learned,  some  founda- 
tion for  Owen's  claim  to  be  the  representative  of  the  kings 
of  Wales,  through  his  mother,  Elinor.  She  was  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Elinor  the  Red,  who  was  daughter  and  heiress  of 
Catharine,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Llewellyn,  the  last  Prince 


THE   WELSH   RISING  141 

of  Wales.  For  aught  I  know  there  may  be  others  who  have 
a  better  claim  than  he,  but  at  least  he  has  royal  blood  in  his 
veins.  At  present  that  matters  little.  He  has  usurped  the 
title  of  King  of  Wales,  and  is  evidently  a  most  ambitious  and 
dangerous  fellow,  and  none  can  doubt  that  this  scheme  has 
not  just  sprung  from  his  brain,  but  has  long  been  prepared, 
and  that  his  quarrel  with  Lord  Grey  has  but  hastened  the  out- 
break. 

"  I  shall  myself  ride  to  Ruthyn  and  consult  with  Lord  Grey 
as  to  the  measures  to  be  taken.  It  may  be  that  our  forces  may 
be  sufficient  to  crush  the  movement  ere  it  gains  strength,  though 
I  greatly  doubt  it.  Still,  it  would  be  well  that  we  should  act  in 
concert.  Sir  John  Burgon  and  Sir  Philip  Haverstone,  do  you 
take  half  a  dozen  men-at-arms  and  ride  through  the  country, 
bidding  all  the  tenants  assemble  here  next  Saturday  in  their 
arms  and  harness  that  I  myself  may  inspect  them.  You  may 
tell  them  that  a  third  of  their  number  must  be  in  readiness  to- 
night, and  must  ride  hither  by  morning.  The  others  must,  on 
an  alarm  being  given,  gather  in  strong  houses,  selected  by  them- 
selves as  the  most  defensible  in  their  district,  with  their  wives 
and  families,  so  as  to  repel  any  attack  the  Welsh  may  make, 
leaving  behind  them  the  boys  and  old  men  to  drive  off  their 
flocks  and  herds  either  towards  the  nearest  castle,  or  to  Here- 
ford or  Shrewsbury,  as  may  be  nearest  to  them." 

When  the  knights  had  left,  messengers  were  sent  out  to  all 
the  owners  of  castles  in  Radnor,  Hereford,  and  Shropshire, 
bidding  them  assemble  in  four  days'  time  at  Ludlow.  On  the 
day  of  the  meeting  nearly  three  hundred  tenants  and  vassals 
presented  themselves.  To  them  Sir  Edmund,  having  first  in- 
spected them  and  their  arms,  explained  the  situation.  Then 
each  man  was  asked  how  many  he  could  bring  into  the  field 
in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  his  holding,  and  it  was  found 
the  total  amounted  to  nigh  eight  hundred  men. 


142  BOTH  SIDES  THE   BORDER 

"  I  know  not  when  the  affair  is  likely  to  begin,  and  will  there- 
fore call  only  for  a  quarter  of  your  force.  Send  your  sons  and 
unmarried  men.  At  the  end  of  a  month  they  can  return  to 
you,  and  if  needs  be  you  can  send  as  many  more  in  their  places. 
It  may  be  that  I  shall  not  require  these,  but  possibly  every 
man  may  have  to  come  out ;  but  you  must  bear  in  mind  it  is 
not  for  the  defence  of  this  town  and  castle  that  men  are 
required,  for  the  garrison  and  burghers  can  hold  out  against 
any  attack,  but  to  save  your  homesteads  from  destruction." 

The  news  had  created  a  deep  sensation.  Although  none  of 
those  present  had  experienced  the  horrors  of  border  warfare, 
there  was  not  one  but  had  heard  from  their  fathers  tales  of 
burning,  massacre,  and  wholesale  destruction  by  the  Welsh 
forays.  But  so  long  a  time  had  passed  since  the  last  serious 
insurrection,  that  the  news  that  Wales  might  shortly  be  in  arms 
again,  came  as  a  terrible  blow  to  them.  All  agreed  to  send  in 
their  proportion  of  men  at  once,  and  to  see  that  the  rest  were 
all  ready  to  assemble  immediately  the  summons  came.  The 
next  day  some  forty  knights,  owners  of  the  castles  thickly 
scattered  through  the  border  counties,  assembled  in  Ludlow 
Castle.  There  was  a  long  consultation ;  arrangements  were 
made  for  the  despatch  of  messengers  by  those  nearest  to  the 
frontier  with  news  of  any  Welsh  raid  ;  points  were  fixed  upon 
where  each  should  assemble  with  what  force  he  could  gather, 
thence  to  march  to  any  threatened  place,  or  to  assemble  at 
Ludlow  Castle,  Mortimer  being  the  warden  of  the  marches 
along  that  line  of  the  border. 

On  the  following  day  Sir  Edmund  rode  with  two  of  his 
knights  to  hold  council  with  Lord  Grey  at  Ruthyn.  *  The 
distance  was  considerable,  and  he  was  absent  six  days  from  his 
castle.  Before  he  returned,  an  event  happened  that  showed 
Glendower  was  in  earnest,  and  intended  to  maintain  his  pre- 
tensions by  the  sword.     At  daybreak,  on  the  third  day  after 


THE   WELSH    RISDJG  143 

Mortimer  had  left,  a  messenger  arrived  at  the  castle  with 
news  that  a  large  body  of  Welsh  had,  the  evening  before, 
entered  Radnor  by  the  road  across  the  hills  from  Llanidloes, 
and  were  marching  towards  Knighton,  burning  the  villages  as 
they  went,  and  slaying  all  who  fell  into  their  hands.  The 
horn  was  at  once  sounded,  and  Sir  John  Wyncliffe  and  the 
other  knights  hastily  assembled  in  the  court-yard.  Here,  after 
a  short  consultation,  it  was  determined  that  a  mounted  party 
should  be  at  once  despatched  to  endeavour  to  harass  the 
advance  of  the  Welsh,  the  troop  consisting  of  Alwyn's  men- 
at-arms,  twenty  men  of  the  garrison,  and  fifty  mounted  men 
who  formed  part  of  the  new  levy.  Four  hundred  foot- 
men were  to  follow  at  once.  Sir  John  Wyncliffe  at  first 
thought  of  taking  the  command  himself,  but  it  was  pointed 
out  to  him  that  his  presence  would  be  required  in  Ludlow  to 
marshal  the  forces  that  would  speedily  arrive  from  all  the 
country  round.  Sir  John  Burgon,  therefore,  a  valiant  knight, 
who  had  greatly  distinguished  himself  against  the  French,  was 
unanimously  chosen  by  his  companions  as  leader  of  the  whole 
party,  while  with  him  rode  Sir  Philip  Haverstone  and  Sir 
William  Bastow. 

"  This  reminds  one  of  one's  doings  at  home,  Oswald,"  his 
uncle  said,  as  he  formed  up  his  little  troop.  "  I  trust  the 
Welsh  will  not  retreat  until  we  have  had  a  taste  of  their 
quality  ;  but  I  doubt  much  if  they  will  prove  as  formidable 
foes  as  the  Scotch  borderers." 

For  a  considerable  portion  of  the  distance  the  roads  led 
through  forests,  which  at  that  time  covered  the  greater  part 
of  the  country.  Oswald,  at  the  invitation  of  the  knights,  rode 
with  them  at  the  head  of  the  cavalcade.  The  way  was  beguiled 
by  anecdotes,  that  had  been  passed  down  from  mouth  to  mouth, 
of  the  last  Welsh  war.  They  reached  Knighton  by  nine 
o'clock.     The  enemy  had  not  as  yet  come  within  sight  of  the 


144  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

town,  but  throughout  the  night  the  sky  to  the  west  had  been 
red  with  the  flames  of  the  burning  villages  and  homesteads. 
The  male  inhabitants  were  all  under  arms ;  many  had  already 
sent  their  wives  and  children  in  waggons  towards  Ludlow,  but 
as  the  town  had  a  strong  wall  the  men  were  determined  upon 
making  a  stout  defence. 

They  crowded  round  the  newly  arrived  troops  with  loud 
cheers,  which  were  raised  again  and  again  when  they  heard 
that  by  mid-day  four  hundred  footmen  would  arrive  to  their 
assistance.  It  had  been  arranged  that  Sir  Philip  Haverstone 
should  remain  in  the  town  to  take  charge  of  the  defence,  and 
that  the  mounted  men  should,  under  Sir  John  Burgon,  en- 
deavour to  check  the  Welsh  plundering  parties  in  the  open. 
Sir  William  Bastow  was  to  remain  to  assist  Haverstone  in  the 
defence  of  the  town.  There  was  no  great  fear  of  this  falling, 
as  before  the  day  was  out  four  or  five  thousand  men  would  be 
assembled  at  Ludlow,  and  would  be  able  to  march  to  its  re- 
lief. These  matters  being  arranged,  Sir  John  Burgon  led  his 
little  troop  out  of  the  town. 

The  accounts  of  the  Welsh  forces  were  very  conflicting,  but 
the  balance  of  opinion  was  that  there  were  not  less  than  four 
or  five  thousand  of  them.  Beyond  the  fact  that  they  were 
skirting  the  hills  and  advancing  towards  Knighton  the  terrified 
fugitives  could  say  nothing  save  of  their  own  experiences.  It 
was  evident,  however,  that  the  Welsh  force  was  not  keeping 
together,  but  after  crossing  the  border  had  broken  up  and 
scattered  over  the  country,  burning  and  slaying.  Some  of  the 
bands  had  approached  to  within  five  miles  of  the  town,  and 
they  might  not  improbably  come  in  contact  with  fresh  bands 
of  the  enemy  crossing  the  hills  near  the  source  of  the  Severn. 
As  soon  as  they  had  sallied  from  the  castle  and  left  the  town 
behind  them  Sir  John  halted  his  party. 

"  Now,  men,"  he  said,  "  there  is  one  thing  that  you  should 


THE    WELSH    RISING  145 

remember  —  these  Welshmen  are  not  to  be  despised.  Doubt- 
less you  will  be  able  to  ride  over  them,  but  do  not  think  that 
when  you  have  done  so  you  have  defeated  them.  They  will 
throw  themselves  down  on  the  ground,  leap  up  as  you  pass 
over  them,  stab  your  horses  from  below,  seize  your  legs  and 
try  to  drag  you  from  your  saddles,  leap  up  on  to  the  crupper 
behind  you,  and  stab  you  to  the  heart.  This  is  what  makes 
them  so  dangerous  a  foe  to  horsemen,  and  at  Crecy  they  did 
terrible  execution  among  the  French  chivalry;  therefore  be 
careful  and  wary.  Spit  all  you  see  on  the  ground  with  your 
lances,  and  hold  your  swords  ever  in  readiness  to  strike  them 
down  as  they  rise  up  beside  you.  Keep  in  as  close  order  as 
you  can,  for  thus  you  will  make  it  more  difficult  for  them  to 
rise  from  the  ground  as  you  pass  over." 

He  then  formed  his  troop  into  two  lines.  In  the  centre  of 
the  front  line  he  placed  the  twenty  men-at-arms  from  the 
castle,  with  fifteen  of  the  tenants  on  either  hand.  Oswald's 
troop  formed  the  centre  of  the  second  line,  with  ten  of  the 
tenants  on  either  flank.  Another  of  the  knights  was  in  com- 
mand in  this  line.  They  were  to  ride  some  fifty  paces  behind 
the  first,  to  cut  down  all  who  rose  to  their  feet  after  the  first 
line  had  passed ;  and  if  the  resistance  were  strong,  and  the 
first  line  brought  to  a  stand,  they  were  to  ride  up  and  rein- 
force them.  They  had  ridden  some  three  miles  when  they 
saw  a  column  of  smoke  rise  half  a  mile  away.  The  pace  was 
quickened,  and  they  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  some 
panic-stricken  men  came  running  down  the  road. 

"How  many  Welshmen  have  attacked  your  village?"  Sir 
John  asked. 

"  Hundreds  of  them,  Sir  Knight,"  one  of  the  men  panted 
out,  "at  least,  so  it  seemed  to  me;  but  indeed  we  were  this 
side  of  the  village  when  they  rushed  into  it,  and,  seeing  that 
nought  could  be  done  f<^  resist  them,  we  fled  at  once." 


146  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

When  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  village  they  entered 
open  ground,  and  at  once  formed  up  in  the  order  the  knight 
had  directed.  Oswald  took  his  place  by  the  side  of  his  uncle, 
a  couple  of  lengths  in  advance  of  their  own  troop.  Scarce  a 
word  was  spoken  in  the  ranks.  Here  and  there  dead  bodies 
were  scattered  over  the  ground,  showing  that  the  pursuit  of 
the  fugitives  had  been  maintained  thus  far.  From  the  village 
the  wild  shouts  of  the  triumphant  Welsh  sounded  plainly,  but 
mingled  with  these  came  occasionally  a  cry  of  pain,  that  seemed 
to  show  that  either  the  work  of  slaughter  was  not  yet  com- 
pleted, or  that  some  of  the  villagers  still  held  one  of  the  houses, 
and  were  defending  themselves  until  the  last. 

Every  face  was  set  and  stern.  The  tenants  knew  that  at 
any  moment  similar  scenes  might  be  enacted  in  their  own 
villages  ;  while  the  men-at-arms  were  eager  to  get  at  the  foe 
and  take  vengeance  for  the  murders  they  had  perpetrated. 

"  Be  sure  you  keep  your  ranks,"  Sir  John  said ;  "  remember 
that  any  who  straggle  may  be  attacked  by  a  score  of  these 
wild  men,  and  slain  before  others  can  come  to  their  help. 
Ride  forward  in  perfect  silence  till  we  are  within  striking 
distance." 

At  a  gallop  the  troop  swept  down  upon  the  village.  As  they 
reached  the  first  houses  they  saw  that  the  road  was  full  of  wild 
figures.  Some  were  emerging  from  the  houses  laden  with  such 
spoil  as  could  be  gathered  there,  chiefly  garments  ;  others  with 
torches  were  setting  fire  to  the  thatched  roofs ;  while  in  the 
middle  of  the  village  a  number  were  attacking  a  house  some- 
what larger  and  more  massively  built  than  the  rest.  Sir  John 
raised  his  sword  with  the  shout  of  "  A  Mortimer  !  a  Mortimer  !  " 
The  shout  was  re-echoed  by  his  followers,  and  a  moment  later 
they  dashed  into  the  midst  of  the  Welsh.  At  first  they  swept 
all  before  them  ;  but  speedily  the  mountaineers,  running  out 
from  the  houses,  gathered  thickly  on  each  side  of  the  road. 


THE   WELSH   RISING  147 

and  as  the  first  line  passed,  closed  in  behind  it,  and  running 
even  more  swiftly  than  the  charging  horses,  strove  to  leap  up 
behind. 

Some  struck  at  the  horses  with  their  swords,  hamstringing 
several  of  them,  and  slaying  their  riders  as  they  fell. 

"Ride,  ride  !"  the  knight  in  command  of  the  second  line 
shouted,  and  at  even  greater  speed  than  before  his  followers 
rode  hotly  forward,  and  came  ere  long  on  the  straggling  mass, 
for  the  first  line  were  now  endeavouring  to  turn  so  as  to  face 
their  assailants.  With  a  great  shout  the  second  line  fell  upon 
them,  the  war-cries  of"  A  Percy  !  a  Percy  !  "  being  mingled  with 
those  of  "  A  Mortimer  !  "  Their  approach  had  been  unnoticed 
by  the  Welsh,  and  their  onslaught  was  irresistible.  The  Welsh 
were  hurled  to  the  ground  by  the  impetus  of  the  charge,  and 
the  two  lines  joined  hands. 

"  Forward  again  !  "  Sir  John  shouted,  and  the  troop  dashing 
forward  were  soon  hotly  engaged  with  the  enemy,  who  were 
in  strong  force  at  the  point  where  they  were  attacking  the 
house.  The  orders  of  their  commander  were  now  impossible 
to  follow.     It  was  a  fierce  mel£e,  where  each  fought  for  himself. 

"  Face  round  !  "  Oswald  shouted.  "  Now,  men,  lay  about 
you.     A  Percy  !  a  Percy  !  " 

The  active  little  horses  swung  round  instantly  and  faced  the 
crowd  surging  up  against  them.  This  was  the  style  of  fighting 
to  which  the  border  men  were  accustomed.  Active  as  the 
Welsh  were,  the  border  ponies  were  as  quick  in  their  move- 
ments, wheeling  and  turning  hither  and  thither,  but  keeping 
ever  within  a  short  distance  of  each  other.  The  troopers 
hewed  down  the  foe  with  their  heavy  swords,  and  being  partly 
protected  by  their  armour  they  possessed  a  great  advantage 
over  their  opponents.  Oswald  and  his  uncle  fought  slightly  in 
advance  of  the  others,  lending  a  helping  hand  to  each  otlier 
when  the  pressure  was  greatest.     On  one  occasion  a  Welshman 


148  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

seized  Alwyn's  leg  while  he  was  engaged  with  a  foeman  on  the 
other  side,  and  strove  to  throw  him  from  his  horse. 

Oswald  wheeled  his  pony,  and  with  a  sweeping  blow  rid  his 
uncle  of  his  foe  ;  but  at  the  same  moment  a  man  leapt  up 
behind  him,  while  two  others  assailed  him  in  front.  The 
Welshman's  sinewy  arms  prevented  him  from  again  raising  his 
sword,  and  he  would  have  been  slain  by  those  in  front  had  he 
not  at  the  moment  slipped  his  right  foot  from  his  stirrup  and 
thrown  himself  from  his  horse,  his  leg  sweeping  off  the  man 
who  held  him  behind,  and  hurled  him  to  the  ground  beneath 
him.  The  Welshman's  grasp  instantly  relaxed,  but  as  Oswald 
tried  to  rise,  a  blow  fell  upon  his  helmet,  and  four  Welshmen 
threw  themselves  upon  him.  He  threw  his  arms  around  two 
of  them  and  rolled  over  and  over  with  them,  thereby  frus- 
trating the  efforts  of  their  companions  to  strike  or  stab  him 
through  some  unguarded  point  in  his  armour,  when  suddenly 
there  was  a  mighty  shout,  two  tremendous  blows  were  struck 
in  quick  succession,  then  there  was  a  shout,  "  Hold  them  still, 
Master  Oswald,  hold  them  still  !  " 

Oswald  tightened  his  grasp  on  his  assailants,  who  were  now 
striving  to  rise.  There  was  another  crashing  blow,  and  then 
his  last  opponent  slipped  from  his  grasp  and  fled. 

"  Thanks,  Roger,"  he  said,  as  he  leapt  to  his  feet,  "  you 
were  but  just  in  time ;  another  minute  and  those  fellows 
would  have  got  their  knives  into  me." 

"  I  have  had  my  eye  upon  you,  master,  all  the  time,  and 
while  doing  a  little  on  my  own  account  have  kept  myself  in 
readiness  to  come  to  your  aid  if  need  be." 

Roger  was  fighting  with  a  heavy  mace,  and  the  number .  of 
men  lying  round  with  their  skulls  crushed  in  showed  with 
what  terrible  effect  he  had  been  using  it.  Oswald  again  leapt 
on  to  his  horse,  which  had  been  too  well  trained  to  leave  his 
master's  side,  and  had  indeed  in  no  small  degree  aided  him, 


1SWALIJ     IIIKI-.W    HIS    ARMS    ROUND    TWO    OF    THEM. 


THE   WELSH   RISING  149 

by  kicking  furiously  at  the  Welsh  as  they  strove  to  aid  their 
comrades  on  the  ground.  By  this  time  the  combat  was  well- 
nigh  over.  The  protection  afforded  by  Alwyn's  band  against 
any  attack  on  their  rear  had  enabled  Sir  John's  men-at-arms 
and  the  tenants  to  clear  the  street  in  front  of  them  ;  but  the 
Welsh,  though  unable  to  hold  their  own  in  open  fight,  had 
now  betaken  themselves  to  their  bows  and  arrows,  and  from 
behind  every  house  shot  fast. 

The  door  of  the  house  that  had  still  resisted  had  been 
thrown  open,  and  eight  men  had  come  out  followed  by  some 
twenty  women  and  children. 

"  Do  each  of  you  leap  up  behind  one  of  us !  "  Sir  John 
shouted.  "Help  the  women  up,  men,  then  right-about  and 
ride  out  of  the  village.     It  is  getting  too  hot  for  us  here." 

The  order  was  quickly  obeyed,  and  placing  the  horses  carry- 
ing a  double  burden  in  the  centre,  the  troop  rode  out  in  a 
compact  body.  The  Welsh  poured  out  into  the  road  behind 
them. 

"  Level  your  spears  !  "  Alwyn  shouted  to  his  men,  who  had 
by  his  orders  fallen  in,  in  the  rear  of  the  others.  The  long 
spears  were  levelled  and  with  a  shout  the  twenty  men  rode 
down  on  their  pursuers,  bursting  their  way  through  them  as  if 
they  had  been  but  a  crowd  of  lay  figures ;  then,  wheeling,  they 
returned  again,  none  venturing  to  try  to  hinder  them,  and 
rejoined  the  main  body. 

"  Well  done,  indeed  ! "  Sir  John  Burgon  exclaimed,  "  and 
in  knightly  fashion.  Verily  those  long  border  spears  of  yours 
are  right  good  weapons  when  so  stoutly  used." 

Once  outside  the  village  the  troop  rode  quietly  on  to  the 
spot  at  which  they  had  first  charged,  then  the  villagers 
dismounted. 

"You  made  a  stout  defence,  men,"  Sir  John  said.  "  It  was 
well  that  you  had  time  to  gain  that  house," 


150  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

"  It  was  agreed  that  all  should  take  to  it,  Sir  Knight,"  one 
of  the  men  said  ;  "  but  the  attack  was  so  sudden  that  only  we 
and  these  women  had  time  to  reach  it  before  they  were  on  us, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  your  arrival  they  must  soon  have 
mastered  us,  for  they  were  bringing  up  a  tree  to  burst  in  the 
door ;  and  as  none  of  us  had  time  to  catch  up  our  bows  and 
arrows  we  had  no  way  of  hindering  them.  Still,  methinks 
many  would  have  fallen  before  they  forced  their  way  in." 

The  men  now  fell  in  again.  Their  numbers  were  counted. 
The  losses  were  by  far  the  heaviest  in  the  front  line.  Five  of 
the  castle  men-at-arms  and  fourteen  of  the  levy  were  killed, 
several  others  had  gashes  from  the  long  knives  and  light  axes 
of  the  Welsh.  Five  of  the  tenants  in  the  second  line  had 
fallen,  but  none  of  Alvvyn's  band,  although  most  of  the  latter 
had  received  wounds  more  or  less  serious  in  their  combat  with 
the  Welsh. 

"The  loss  is  heavy,"  Sir  John  said,  "but  it  is  as  nought  to 
that  inflicted  upon  the  Welsh.  I  did  not  count  them  as  we 
rode  back,  but  assuredly  over  a  hundred  have  fallen,  not  count- 
ing those  who  were  slain  in  that  last  charge  of  yours,  Alwyn ; 
truly  your  men  have  fought  gallantly,  as  was  shown  by  the  pile 
of  dead  where  your  men-at-arms  defended  our  rear.  The 
Welsh  will  be  moving  ere  long.  Half  the  village  is  already 
burning,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  there  is  nothing  left  to 
sack  in  the  other  houses.  If  they  come  this  way  we  must  fall 
back,  for  in  the  forest  we  shall  be  no  match  for  them.  If  they 
move  across  the  open  country  we  may  get  an  opportunity  of 
charging  them  again." 

He  told  two  of  his  men  to  dismount  and  to  crawl  cautiously 
along,  one  on  each  side  of  the  burning  village,  and  to  bring 
back  news  the  moment  the  Welsh  began  to  leave  it.  In 
twenty  minutes  both  returned  saying  that  the  enemy  were 
streaming   out    at    the   other    end   of  the  village  laden  with 


THE   WELSH    RISING  151 

plunder  of  all  kinds.  There  seemed  to  be  no  order  or  disci- 
pline among  them,  each  trooping  along  at  his  pleasure. 

"Good!"  the  knight  said;  "we  will  give  them  another 
lesson,  and  this  time  on  more  favourable  terms  than  the  last." 

The  troops  formed  into  column  and  galloped  at  a  canter 
through  the  burning  village.  At  the  other  end  they  came 
upon  a  number  of  stragglers  who  were  at  once  killed.  Then 
they  emerged  into  the  fields  beyond  and  formed  line.  The 
plain  was  dotted  with  men,  the  nearest  but  a  hundred  yards 
away,  the  farthest  nearly  half  a  mile.  In  a  single  line  the 
horsemen  swept  along.  The  rearmost  Welshmen  turned 
round  at  the  tramp  of  the  horses,  and  at  once,  throwing  to 
the  ground  the  bundles  that  they  carried,  took  to  their  heels 
with  shouts  of  warning.  As  these  were  heard  the  alarm  spread 
among  the  rest,  who,  believing  that  their  foes  had  ridden  away 
through  the  forest,  were  taken  completely  by  surprise. 

A  panic  seized  them ;  leaders  in  vain  shouted  orders,  their 
voices  were  unheard  among  the  cries  of  the  men.  Some,  in- 
deed, gathered  together  as  they  ran ;  but  the  greater  portion 
fled  in  various  directions,  to  escape  the  line  of  spears  venge- 
fully  following  them.  Those  unable  to  avoid  the  charge  stood 
at  bay  like  wild  animals.  First  shooting  their  arrows,  they 
drew  their  short  axes  or  their  knives  as  the  horsemen  came 
within  a  short  distance  of  them.  Few  had  a  chance  of  striking, 
most  of  them  falling  pierced  through  and  through  by  the 
spears.  Those  who  by  swiftness  of  eye  escaped  this  fate 
sprung  at  the  horses  like  wild-cats,  clinging  to  the  saddles, 
while  they  strove  to  bury  their  knives  in  the  riders'  bodies. 

Their  back-pieces  now  served  the  troopers  in  good  stead,  as 
did  their  superior  personal  strength.  Some  beat  their  assail- 
ants down  on  to  the  pommel  of  their  saddles  and  throttled  or 
stabbed  them,  while  in  many  cases  where  they  were  hard 
pressed  the  sword  of  a  comrade  rid  them  from  their  foes.     So 


152  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

the  line  held  on  its  way  until  they  reached  the  head  of  the 
body  of  fugitives,  then  in  obedience  to  the  shout  of  Sir  John 
Burgon  they  turned,  broke  up  into  small  bodies  and  scoured 
the  plain,  cutting  down  the  flying  foe,  and  did  not  draw  bridle 
until  what  remained  of  the  enemy  had  gained  the  shelter  of 
the  wood.  Then,  at  the  sound  of  their  leader's  trumpet  they 
gathered  around  him  in  the  centre  of  the  plain.  Two  or  three 
had  fallen  from  the  Welsh  arrows,  and  not  a  few  had  received 
ugly  slashes  from  their  knives,  but  with  these  exceptions  all 
had  come  scathless  through  the  fray.  At  least  two  hundred 
dead  Welshmen  were  scattered  on  the  plain. 

"  You  have  done  your  work  well,  men,"  Sir  John  said,  "  and 
taught  them  a  lesson  that  they  will  not  forget.  Now,  let  us 
ride  back  to  Knighton  and  see  how  matters  go  there." 

On  arriving  at  the  little  town  they  found  that  all  was  quiet 
and  that  no  bodies  of  Welsh  had  approached  the  town.  The 
party  of  horse  were  again  sent  out  in  various  directions,  the 
smoke  serving  them  as  a  guide ;  the  villages  were  found  to 
be  entirely  deserted,  but  pushing  farther  on  many  fugitives 
came  out  from  hiding-places.  Their  reports  were  all  of  the 
same  character.  The  Welsh  were  in  full  retreat  for  their  own 
country.  By  the  time  the  troops  returned  with  the  news  to 
Knighton,  the  footmen  from  Ludlow  had  marched  in  and  were 
being  entertained  by  the  inhabitants,  who,  now  that  the  danger 
had  passed,  had  returned. 

"Retired,  have  they,  Sir  John?"  his  two  fellow-knights 
said,  as  he  arrived  with  his  following.  "  It  was  but  a  raid  for 
plunder  then,  and  not  an  invasion.  Doubtless  Glendower 
merely  wished  to  warm  their  blood,  and  to  engage  them  so 
far  in  his  enterprise  that  they  could  no  longer  draw  back. 
They  must  have  carried  off  some  hundreds  of  cattle  and  sheep, 
to  say  nothing  of  other  plunder,  and  had  it  not  been  for  our 
having  the  news  soon  enough  to  get  here  before  they  retired, 


THE    WELSH   RISING  153 

they  would  have  got  off  scathless.  As  it  is,  they  have  learned 
that  even  a  well-planned  foray  cannot  be  carried  out  with  im- 
punity, but  the  loss  of  three  hundred  lives  will  not  affect  them 
greatly,  when  it  is  clear  that  they  have  murdered  twice  that 
number  as  well  as  enriched  themselves  with  plunder." 

"  I  think  not  that  we  shall  hear  of  them  again,"  Sir  John 
said.  "  Glendower  has  shown  us  without  doubt  what  are  his 
intentions,  and  he  may  now  wait  to  see  what  comes  of  last 
night's  work.  I  expect  that  he  will  keep  among  the  hills, 
where  he  can  fight  to  better  advantage,  for  horsemen  are  of 
little  use  where  there  are  mountains  and  forests." 

After  a  consultation  between  the  knights  it  was  agreed  that 
two  hundred  of  the  footmen  were  to  remain  for  two  or  three 
days  at  Knighton  in  case  the  retreat  of  the  Welsh  might  be  a 
feigned  one,  intended  to  lull  the  inhabitants  into  a  state  of 
security  and  then  to  make  a  sudden  night  attack  upon  the 
walls.  The  whole  force  remained  until  the  next  morning,  and 
then,  leaving  Sir  Philip  Haverstone  in  command  of  the  party 
remaining  at  Knighton,  the  rest,  horse  and  foot,  marched  back 
to  Ludlow. 

"  Your  band  have  indeed  distinguished  themselves,  Oswald," 
Sir  John  had  said  on  the  previous  evening  as  they  talked  on 
the  events  of  the  day.  "Truly  they  are  as  stout  men  as  I 
have  ever  seen  fighting.  And  you  have  escaped  without  a 
wound,  though  I  marked  that  your  armour  and  clothes  were 
covered  with  mire,  as  if  you  had  been  rolling  in  the  road." 

"That  is  just  what  I  have  been  doing,  Sir  John.  One  of 
them  leaped  on  to  the  horse  behind  me  and  pinioned  my  arms, 
while  two  or  three  others  made  at  me  with  axes  and  staves. 
The  clasp  of  the  fellow  was  like  an  iron  band,  and,  seeing  that 
my  only  chance  was  to  rid  myself  of  him,  I  slung  my  leg  over 
my  horse,  and  we  came  down  together,  he  undermost.  Whether 
the  fall  killed  him  or  not  I  cannot  say,  but  his  arms  relaxed ; 


154  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

half  a  dozen  sprang  on  me,  and  in  another  minute  I  should 
have  been  killed  had  not  that  big  trooper  of  mine  come  to  my 
aid,  and  with  a  mighty  mace  dashed  out  their  brains  well-nigh 
before  they  knew  that  they  were  attacked." 

"  A  stout  fellow  indeed,"  Sir  John  said,  "  and  one  I  should 
like  to  have  to  ride  behind  me  on  the  day  of  battle.  I  had 
marked  him  before,  and  thought  that  I  had  never  seen  a  more 
stalwart  knave,  though  methinks  that  he  would  look  better  did 
he  not  crop  his  hair  so  wondrously  short." 

Oswald  laughed.  "  He  does  it  not  to  beautify  himself,  Sir 
John,  but  to  hide  the  fact  that  the  hair  on  his  crown  is  but  of 
six  weeks'  growth." 

And  then  he  related  the  circumstances  under  which  Roger 
came  to  be  a  member  of  his  troop. 

"By  my  faith,  he  has  done  well !  "  Sir  John  said  ;  "a  man 
with  such  sinews  as  that  is  lost  in  a  cloister.  He  is  a  merry 
fellow  too.  I  have  often  marked  him  at  the  castle,  and  his 
laugh  is  a  veritable  roar  that  would  sound  strange  echoing 
along  the  galleries  of  a  monastery.  The  abbot  did  well  to  let 
him  go,  for  such  a  fellow  might  well  disturb  the  peace  and 
quiet  of  a  whole  convent.  You  say  that  he  has  skill  in 
war?  " 

"  Yes,  Sir  John.  He  has  been  the  instructor  in  arms  of  the 
lay  brothers,  and  of  some  of  the  monks  too,  and  he  led  the 
contingent  of  the  abbey  at  Otterburn ;  and  although  the  day 
went  against  the  English  he  and  his  followers  greatly  distin- 
guished themselves." 

"  If  you  would  part  with  him  I  would  better  his  condition, 
Master  Oswald,  for  on  my  recommendation  Sir  Edmund  would, 
I  am  sure,  make  him  captain  of  a  company." 

"  I  should  be  sorry  indeed  to  part  with  him,  Sir  John,  and 
the  more  so  since  he  has  saved  my  life  to-day ;  but  even  were 
I  willing  I  feel  sure  he  would  not  leave  me,  as  we  have  gone 


THE   WELSH   RISING  155 

through  some  adventures  together,  and  he  believes  that  it  is  to 
me  that  he  owes  his  escape  from  the  convent." 

"  What  were  these  adventures,  Oswald?  " 

"  It  was  a  matter  touching  the  Earl  of  March  —  not  Sir 
Edmund's  nephew,  now  in  the  care  of  the  king,  but  the  Scot- 
tish earl,  George,  Earl  of  Dunbar,  also  bearing  the  title  of  Earl 
of  March.  Now  that  he  has  taken  the  oath  to  King  Henry 
there  is  no  reason  why  I  should  not  speak  of  it."  And  he 
then  gave  them  an  account  of  his  visit  to  Dunbar  and  of  his 
escape. 

"  And  why  did  the  earl  wish  to  keep  you?  " 

"  Maybe,  sir,  that  he  had  not  then  made  up  his  mind,  and 
thought  that  affairs  might  yet  have  been  accommodated  be- 
tween himself,  Douglas,  and  the  Scottish  king." 

"  Perhaps  that  was  so,"  Sir  John  agreed ;  "  he  is  a  crafty  as 
well  as  a  bold  man.  However,  you  were  well  out  of  Dunbar, 
and  you  and  your  monk  managed  the  affair  well.  Think  you 
that  the  earl  is  to  be  trusted?  " 

"  I  should  say  so.  These  great  Scottish  nobles  deem  them- 
selves well-nigh  the  king's  equal,  and  carry  on  their  wars 
against  each  other  as  independent  lords.  His  castle  of  Dunbar 
is  in  the  hands  of  his  bitterest  enemy,  and  Douglas  will  come 
into  no  small  portion  of  his  estates.  Without  the  aid  of 
England  he  could  not  hope  to  recover  them,  and  his  interests 
therefore  are  wholly  bound  up  with  ours." 

"  'T  is  strange  that  there  should  be  two  Earls  of  March  of 
different  families  and  names,  and  now  that  Dunbar  has  become 
a  vassal  of  the  king  it  will  make  the  matter  stranger.  How- 
ever, at  present  no  mistakes  can  arise,  seeing  that  the  one  is 
an  able  warrior  and  the  other  a  mere  boy.  But  in  the  future, 
were  the  two  Earls  of  March  at  the  same  time  at  the  court  of 
our  king,  mistakes  might  well  be  made  and  strange  complica- 
tions take  place. 


15G  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  Doubtless  you  are  aware  that  Sir  Edmund's  nephew  is  by 
right  of  birth  King  of  England.  He  was,  you  know,  sprung 
from  the  Duke  of  Clarence,  the  elder  brother  of  the  Duke  of 
Lancaster.  The  duke  died  without  male  issue,  and  his  rights 
fell  to  Edmund  Mortimer,  Earl  of  March,  the  husband  of  his 
daughter  Philippa.  From  their  marriage  was  born  the  Roger 
Mortimer  who  was  lord-lieutenant  of  Ireland  during  a  part  of 
King  Richard's  reign,  and  was  killed  in  the  wars  of  that  country. 
He  left  two  sons,  of  whom  the  elder  was  but  eight  or  nine 
years  old  when  Richard  was  dethroned,  and  he  and  his  brother 
are  now  living  at  Windsor,  and  are  well  treated  there  by  the 
king.  Had  my  lord's  nephew  attained  the  age  of  manhood  at 
the  deposition  of  Richard,  many  would  doubtless  have  sup- 
ported his  right  to  the  throne,  but  for  a  child  of  eight  to  rule 
this  realm  and  keep  in  check  the  turbulence  of  the  great  lords 
would  be  so  absurd  that  no  one  even  mentioned  his  name, 
and  Henry  of  course  ascended  the  throne  as  if  by  right  of 
conquest." 

"  I  have  heard  something  of  this  before,  Sir  John,  but  as 
the  Percys  were  among  the  chief  supporters  of  Henry  the  fact 
that  there  was  one  who  had  greater  rights  to  the  throne  was 
never  talked  of  at  Alnwick,  although  by  Percy's  marriage  with 
Sir  Edmund's  sister  he  became  uncle  of  the  young  Earl  of 
March." 

"  I  can  understand  that,  and  indeed  Sir  Edmund  himself 
has  never  in  the  most  intimate  conversation  with  us  expressed 
any  opinion  that  the  young  earl  would,  if  he  had  his  rights, 
be  King  of  England." 


A    BREACH   OF   DUTY  157 

CHAPTER  X 

A   BREACH   OF   DUTY 

TWO  or  three  hours  after  the  return  of  the  force  to  Ludlow 
Sir  Edmund  Mortimer  returned,  having  ridden  almost 
without  a  halt  since  he  received  the  news  of  the  Welsh  incur- 
sion.    His  knights  met  him  in  the  court-yard. 

"  Well,  my  friends,  I  hear  you  have  sent  the  Welsh  back 
again  as  fast  as  they  came." 

"We  cannot  say  that,  Sir  Edmund,"  Sir  John  Wyncliffe 
replied.  "  Sir  John  Burgon  went  out  with  ninety  horse,  and, 
coming  upon  a  party  of  five  or  six  hundred  of  them,  killed 
half  their  number  and  put  the  rest  to  flight,  but  their  main 
body  left  of  their  own  free-will  and  without  any  urging.  'T  is 
a  pity  that  they  were  so  hurried,  for  in  another  twenty-four 
hours  we  should  have  had  some  four  thousand  men  on  the 
march  against  them,  besides  those  who   first  went  on." 

"  Have  they  done  much  damage?  " 

"  There  is  scarce  a  house  left  standing  between  the  hills  on 
this  side  of  Llanidloes  atfid  Knighton.  From  what  we  can 
gather  they  must  have  slain  three  or  four  hundred  at  least. 
At  first  the  total  was  put  much  higher,  but  as  soon  as  they 
retired  many  fugitives  made  their  way  into  Knighton,  having 
slipped  away  in  the  darkness  when  their  villages  were  attacked, 
and  concealed  themselves  in  the  woods  or  among  the  rocks." 

"There  has  been  fighting  up  in  the  north  too,"  Sir  Edmund 
said.  "  When  I  got  to  Ruthyn  I  found  that  Lord  Grey  was 
away,  but  I  talked  over  matters  with  his  knights.  I  was  to 
have  left  on  the  morning  of  the  fifth  day  alter  leaving  here, 
but  at  night  (ilendower's  men  raided  almost  up  to  the  gates  of 


158  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

the  castle.  Their  plans  were  well  laid,  for  just  at  midnight  an 
alarm  was  given  by  a  sentry  on  the  walls.  Everyone  ran  to 
arms  the  instant  the  warder's  horn  was  sounded,  but  when  I 
reached  the  top  of  the  walls  fires  were  bursting  out  in  twenty 
places.  It  was  not  long  before  the  knights  rode  out  with  a 
hundred  and  fifty  men-at-arms,  but  the  Welsh  were  already 
gone.  It  seems  that  they  had  laid  an  ambuscade  round  every 
village,  and  on  the  signal  being  given,  fell  at  once  upon  the 
sleeping  inhabitants,  put  all  to  the  sword,  fired  the  houses, 
and  in  ten  minutes  from  the  first  alarm  made  off,  driving 
horses,  cattle,  and  sheep  before  them.  I  was  with  the  party, 
and  we  rode  hard  and  fast,  but  we  came  up  with  none  of  them. 
Each  party  must  have  gone  its  own  way,  striking  off  into  the 
hills.  As  soon  as  we  returned  to  the  castle  I  started  with  my 
four  men-at-arms,  and  we  have  lost  no  time  on  the  road, 
especially  after  the  rumour  reached  us  that  there  had  been  a 
Welsh  raid  here  also.  Now,  Sir  John  Burgon,  will  you  give 
me  an  account  of  the  doings  of  your  party?" 

The  knight  reported  their  proceedings  after  leaving  Ludlow, 
and  concluded  : 

"  It  is  like  that  the  story  would  not  have  so  run,  Sir  Edmund, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  bravery  shown  by  the  northern  men 
under  the  young  squire  Oswald  and  his  captain,  Alwyn.  So 
furiously  did  the  Welsh  assail  us  in  rear  that  we  should  have 
suffered  heavily,  indeed,  even  if  we  had  not  met  with  a  grave 
disaster,  had  it  not  been  that  this  band  covered  our  rear  while 
we  charged  forward,  fighting  so  stoutly  that  the  spot  where  they 
posted  themselves  was  thickly  covered  with  dead.  I  found 
time  to  look  round  now  and  then,  for  they  made  but  a  poor 
resistance  to  our  advance.  Never  did  I  see  stronger  fighting. 
I  have  questioned  the  men.  All  say  that  none  fought  more 
bravely  than  young  Oswald,  and  his  uncle  gives  him  warm  praise. 
The  lad,  however,  would  have  lost  his  life  had  it  not  been  for 


A    BREACH   OF   DUTY  159 

that  stout  fellow  who  stands  half  a  head  above  his  comrades, 
and  is  a  very  giant  in  strength.  Oswald  himself  told  me  how 
it  came  about,"  and  he  repeated  the  account  of  the  incident. 

"  It  was  a  quick  thought  to  throw  himself  and  the  fellow  who 
held  him  off  the  horse,  though  it  would  not  have  availed  him 
much  had  not  this  stout  man-at-arms  been  at  hand.  Still,  in 
no  case  could  he  have  defended  himself  single-handed  against 
five  of  these  knaves,  though  doubtless  he  would  have  given  a 
good  account  of  some  of  them  had  not  his  arms  been  held. 
Alwyn  said  that  three  times  during  the  fray  the  young  esquire 
saved  his  life  by  cutting  down  men  who  were  attacking  him 
from  behind  while  he  was  occupied  by  other  opponents  in 
front." 

"  He  will  make  a  valiant  knight  some  day,  Sir  John.  Sir 
Henry  Percy  would  not  have  written  so  strongly  about  him 
had  he  not  good  reason  for  feeling  that  he  would  not  do  dis- 
credit to  his  recommendation.  Well,  Sir  Knights,  you  have 
all  merited  my  thanks  for  the  manner  in  which  you  have  dis- 
charged your  duties  during  my  absence.  Of  course  you  were 
perfectly  right,  Wyncliffe,  in  remaining  here  until,  at  any  rate, 
the  knights  brought  in  their  following  from  the  country  round. 
It  was  important  to  save  Knighton,  but  vastly  more  so  to  pre- 
vent their  overspreading  the  whole  country,  which  might,  for 
aught  we  can  tell,  have  been  Glendower's  object ;  and  it  is 
as  well  that  Haverstone  and  Bastow  should  have  remained  at 
Knighton.  Now,  as  I  have  not  broken  my  fast,  and  have 
ridden  since  midnight  without  a  stop,  I  will  breakfast,  and 
we  can  then  talk  over  the  plans  to  be  pursued,  for  there  is  no 
disguising  the  fact  that  the  Welsh  are  up  in  arms,  and  that  we 
have  long  and  heavy  work  before  us. 

"  However,  it  is  a  matter  too  serious  for  us  to  undertake  by 
ourselves,  but  is  for  the  king  himself  to  take  in  hand.  A  raid 
can  be  punished  by  a  counter-raid;  but  now  that  Glendower 


1G0  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

has  declared  himself  sovereign  of  Wales,  and  that  everything 
points  to  the  fact  that  the  men  of  his  nation  are  all  ready  to 
support  him,  it  is  a  matter  that  touches  his  majesty  very 
closely,  and  I  doubt  not  that  as  soon  as  he  has  finished  this 
war  with  the  Scots  he  will  march  hither  at  the  head  of  his 
army.  However,  I  shall  send  out  a  summons  to  the  tenants 
of  all  my  nephew's  estates  in  Herefordshire,  and  order  them  to 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  should  Glendower  venture  to  in- 
vade us ;  but  I  think  not  that  he  will  do  so.  He  knows  that 
these  counties  bristle  with  castles  in  which  the  people  could 
find  refuge,  and  that  if  he  undertook  to  besiege  them  he  would 
speedily  lose  the  best  part  of  his  army. 

"  None  of  his  people  have  experience  of  war,  and  to  besiege 
a  strong  place  needs  machines  of  all  kinds,  and  of  these  Glen- 
dower has  none,  nor  is  it  likely  that  he  can  construct  them. 
Besides,  while  marching  out  he  would  be  exposed  to  an  attack 
by  the  garrisons  of  these  castles  sallying  out  in  his  rear.  There- 
fore I  think  not  that  he  will  be  foolish  enough  to  undertake 
any  great  enterprises,  though  he  may  make  raids  and  carry  off 
booty  and  cattle  as  he  has  now  done.  Moreover,  I  cannot 
keep  the  vassals  in  the  field  longer  than  their  feudal  obliga- 
tions compel  them  to  stay,  unless  I  pay  and  feed  them,  which 
might  be  done  readily  enough  for  two  or  three  months;  but 
the  war  may  last  for  years,  and  I  must  reserve  my  means  and 
strength  till  they  are  urgently  needed.  Lord  Grey  will  doubt- 
less be  of  my  opinion,  but  is  sure  to  do  what  he  can  to  capture 
Glendower,  as  he  will  consider  him  not  only  as  an  enemy  of 
the  king  but  as  a  personal  foe.  However,  powerful  as  he  is,  I 
think  not  that  he  will  venture  alone  to  lead  an  army  into  the 
Welsh  hills  until  he  receives  assistance  from  the  king." 

Two  days  later  news  came  that  the  king,  as  soon  as  he  heard 
of  Glendower's  proclamation,  had  sent  orders  to  Lord  Grey 
and  Lord  Talbot  to  punish  him. 


A    BREACH    OF    DUTY  161 

"They  will  reach  Chester  two  days  hence,"  Sir  Edmund 
said.  "  After  the  raid  they  made  here,  I  would  gladly  take 
some  small  share  in  punishing  this  rebel.  You,  Sir  John 
Burgon,  have  had  a  full  share  of  honour  by  your  defeat  of 
him  the  other  day ;  therefore  I  will  send  Sir  William  Bastow. 
Do  you,  Sir  William,  take  thirty  of  the  best  mounted  men  of 
the  garrison,  together  with  Lord  Percy's  troop,  and  ride  to 
Chester.  I  will  give  you  a  letter  to  Lord  Talbot,  saying  that, 
being  anxious  to  aid  in  the  punishment  of  the  rebel  who  has 
just  raided  my  marches,  I  have  sent  you  in  all  haste,  with  fifty 
stout  men,  to  aid  him  in  striking  a  blow,  and,  if  possible,  in 
effecting  Glendower's  capture  before  he  can  do  further  harm 
to  the  king's  loyal  subjects." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  troop  mounted.  Oswald  was  in  high 
spirits,  for  Sir  Edmund  had  spoken  a  few  words  to  him,  when 
telling  him  of  the  service  to  which  he  had  appointed  him. 

"  I  am  sending  your  troop  with  Sir  William  Bastow,"  he  said, 
"  chiefly  in  order  that  I  may  give  you  another  opportunity  of 
distinguishing  yourself,  and  also  because  I  am  sure  that  Percy 
would  be  glad  that  his  men  should  take  part  in  an  enterprise 
in  which  there  may  be  honour  and  credit.  Lastly,  because  I 
would  that  my  party  should  do  me  credit,  and  the  fighting  the 
other  day  showed  me  that  your  followers  better  understand 
warfare  of  this  kind  than  do  mine." 

The  troop  arrived  at  Chester  the  second  day  after  leaving, 
and  rested  their  horses  for  twenty-four  hours.  On  the  arrival 
of  the  Earl  of  Talbot  and  Lord  Grey,  Sir  William  Bastow  called 
at  the  inn  where  they  put  up  and  delivered  the  letter  from 
Sir  Edmund  Mortimer. 

"  'T  is  well  done  of  Sir  Edmund,"  the  Earl  of  Talbot  said ; 
"and  although  Ruthyn  lies  beyond  his  government  of  the 
marches,  he  is  defending  his  own  command  by  aiding  Lord 
Grey  and    myself  against   this    presumptuous    traitor.     I  will 

4A, 


162  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

gladly  take  your  clump  of  spears  with  me,  among  whom  are,  I 
see,  a  small  party  of  Lord  Percy's  men-at-arms.  I  hear  that 
Sir  Edmund's  men  inflicted  a  sharp  blow  upon  the  Welsh  near 
Knighton.  I  met  his  messenger  bearing  his  report  to  the  king, 
as  we  came  along,  and  he  gave  me  the  particulars,  from  which 
it  seems  that  the  fight  was  for  a  time  a  hard  one,  and  that  the 
Welshmen  fought,  as  they  used  to  do,  with  much  bravery." 

"  They  did,  my  lord.  I  was  not  with  the  party  that  defeated 
them,  having  been  left  at  Knighton  to  aid  in  the  defence  there 
should  the  Welsh  attack  the  town ;  but  Sir  John  Burgon,  who 
commanded,  said  that  in  the  village  they  fought  as  if  they 
cared  not  for  their  lives,  though  they  made  scarce  any  defence 
when  he  fell  upon  them  as  they  retired  in  disorder.  The 
success  he  gained  he  attributes  in  no  small  degree  to  Percy's 
little  troop,  led  by  their  captain,  a  stout  soldier  who  commands 
the  garrison  of  Alnwick,  and  by  a  young  squire  of  Sir  Henry 
Percy,  who,  though  but  a  lad,  fought  with  extreme  bravery. 
He  is  with  me  now.  Sir  Henry  places  great  trust  in  him, 
and  wrote  most  warmly  concerning  him  to  Sir  Edmund 
Mortimer." 

"  We  are  just  going  to  supper,  sir,"  the  earl  said  ;  "  I  hope 
that  you  will  join  us.  And  I  pray  you  tell  me  where  this 
young  squire  is  lodging,  that  I  may  send  for  him  at  once,  as  I 
would  fain  learn  from  his  lips  some  closer  account  of  the  fight- 
ing, which  may  be  of  utility  to  us  in  our  adventure." 

Oswald  arrived  just  as  supper  was  brought  in,  and  was  intro- 
duced to  the  earl  and  Lord  Grey  by  Sir  William  Bastow. 

"Sit  down  with  us,  young  sir,"  the  earl  said  kindly.  "You 
are  an  esquire,  I  hear,  of  my  good  friend  Sir  Henry  Percy. 
As  you  eat,  I  pray  you  tell  me  about  this  fight  with  the  Welsh. 
Sir  Edmund  himself  was  not  in  command,  I  hear." 

"  No,  my  lord,  he  was  away  at  the  time,  having  ridden  to 
Ruthyn  to  hold  council  with  Lord  Grey." 


A   BREACH   OF   DUTY  163 

"  Ah  1  I  had  not  heard  that  he  had  been  there,"  Earl  Grey 
said. 

"  He  arrived  the  day  before  the  Welsh  raid  on  your  estate, 
sir.  Finding  that  you  were  absent,  he  intended  to  return 
home  the  next  morning ;  but  the  matter  delayed  him  for  a 
day,  as  he  rode  out  with  your  knights  to  punish  the  ma- 
rauders, who,  however,  made  off  before  they  could  be 
overtaken." 

"  When  you  see  him,  I  pray  you  give  him  my  thanks  for  so 
doing ;  and  now  tell  us  what  happened." 

"  Sir  William  Bastow  can  better  inform  you,  sir,  of  what 
took  place  until  we  rode  away  from  Knighton,  where  he 
remained  with  Sir  Philip  Haverstone  to  take  command  of  the 
townspeople  in  case  the  Welsh  should  arrive  before  strong  aid 
should  come." 

Sir  William  then  related  the  measures  that  had  been  decided 
upon  and  the  steps  taken  to  call  out  the  levies,  and  how  he 
and  his  brother  knights  had  ridden  to  Knighton  with  the 
intent  to  hinder  as  far  as  possible  the  Welsh  advance,  until  the 
footmen  could  reach  the  town,  to  be  followed  shortly  after- 
wards by  the  troops  that  would  come  in  from  the  castles  of 
Radnor.  Oswald  then  continued  the  story,  and  gave  an 
account  of  the  fight  in  the  village,  and  the  manner  in  which 
the  Welsh  were  attacked  while  retiring  with  their  booty,  and 
completely  routed. 

"  Their  tactics  have  in  nowise  changed,  then,"  the  earl  said, 
"  since  the  days  of  Griffith  and  Llewellyn.  Against  a  direct 
charge  they  were  unable  to  stand,  but  they  attacked  with  fury 
whenever  there  was  an  opportunity  of  fighting  under  cir- 
cumstances when  our  weight  and  discipline  gave  us  little 
advantage.  I  hear  from  Sir  William  Bastow  that  your  little 
band  covered  the  rear  of  Sir  John  Burgon's  troop,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  keeping  them  at  bay  until  he  had  broken  the  resist- 


164  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

ance  in  front,  and  carried  off  a  small  party  of  villagers  who 
were  still  defending  themselves." 

"That  was  so,  my  lord.  Our  men  were  all  accustomed  to 
border  warfare,  and  had  for  the  most  part,  before  entering 
Percy's  service,  been  often  engaged  in  border  forays,  and  had 
taken  to  soldiering  after  their  own  homes  had  been  burnt  and 
their  cattle  driven  off  by  Scottish  raiders.  Therefore  they  were 
accustomed  to  fight  each  for  himself,  instead  of  in  close  order. 
Their  horses,  too,  bred  on  the  moors,  are  far  more  active  and 
nimble  than  are  the  heavier  horses  of  the  south,  and  enter 
heart  and  soul  into  a  fray,  kicking  and  plunging  and  striking 
with  their  fore-legs  at  any  who  approached  to  assail  their  riders. 
Thus  it  was  that  they  were  able  to  hold  the  Welsh  carles  at 
bay  far  better  than  men  otherwise  trained  and  mounted  would 
have  been.  Another  thing  is,  that  in  these  Border  conflicts 
each  man  is  accustomed  to  keep  his  eye  on  his  neighbour,  and, 
if  he  sees  him  hard  pressed,  to  give  him  aid.  Therefore  it  is 
not  surprising  that,  while  the  men  slew  many  of  the  Welsh, 
they  themselves  escaped  with  but  a  few  cuts  from  blows  and 
hatchets." 

"  But  you  yourself  were  unhorsed,  Sir  William  tells  me,  and 
were  in  great  peril.     How  did  that  come  about?  " 

"  Both  my  unhorsing,  sir,  and  my  rescue  were  the  result  of 
what  I  just  said,  our  habit  of  keeping  an  eye  on  our  neigh- 
bours. A  Welshman  was  on  the  point  of  attacking  Captain 
Alwyn  when  he  was  engaged  with  two  others  in  front ;  I  struck 
the  man  down,  but  as  I  did  so  a  Welshman  sprang  on  to  my 
horse  behind  and  pinned  my  arms  to  my  side,  while  four 
others  rushed  at  me." 

He  then  related  how  he  had  thrown  himself  and  his  assail- 
ant off  his  horse,  and  had  been  saved  by  Roger. 

"  It  was  a  good  device,  and  quickly  carried  into  effect,"  Earl 
Talbot  said,  "  though  it  was  well  that  the  man-at-arms  next  to 


A   BREACH   OF  DUTY  165 

you  was  watching  you,  just  as  you  had  watched  his  captain, 
else  it  must  have  gone  hard  with  you.  It  is  evident  that  if  you 
continue  as  you  have  begun  you  will  turn  out  a  right  valiant 
knight.  Your  narrative  is  useful,  and  I  see  that  when  we  fall 
in  with  the  Welsh  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  a  picked  body 
of  men-at-arms,  whose  duty  shall  be  to  cover  the  rear  of  the 
main  attack,  for  it  seems  that  this  is  the  real  point  of  danger. 
Should  we  come  into  conflict  with  them,  I  will  assign  to  you  a 
body  of  men-at-arms,  who  with  Percy's  men  shall,  under  your 
command,  fulfil  that  duty.  This  would  at  once  be  of  signal 
benefit  to  us,  and  will  give  you  another  opportunity  of  distin- 
guishing yourself,  and  winning  your  spurs  when  the  time 
comes." 

"  I  thank  you  greatly,  my  lord,  and  trust  that  I  may  so  bear 
myself  as  to  merit  your  approbation." 

The  next  morning  the  force  mounted  at  daybreak.  It  con- 
sisted of  two  hundred  horse  that  the  earl  had  brought  with 
him,  and  which  was  to  be  joined  at  Chirk  by  a  hundred  and 
fifty  of  Lord  Grey's  men  from  Ruthyn,  orders  having  been 
already  sent  on  for  them  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness. 
This  was  to  be  done  quietly  and  without  stir,  as  word  would  be 
sure  to  be  sent  to  Glendower  were  it  to  be  known  in  the  town 
that  preparations  had  been  made  for  an  expedition.  They 
were  to  start  from  the  castle  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when  the 
town  would  be  wrapped  in  sleep,  and  would  arrive  at  Chirk 
before  daybreak. 

On  arriving  at  the  castle  it  was  found  that  the  troops  from 
Ruthyn  had  duly  come  in.  They  were  received  by  the  senes- 
chal of  William  Beauchamp,  Lord  of  Abergavenny.  Chirk 
Castle  had  passed  through  many  hands,  having  been  several 
times  granted  to  royal  favourites,  being  a  fine  building,  stand- 
ing on  a  lofty  eminence,  which  afforded  a  view  of  no  less  than 
seventeen    counties.     It  was    square    and   massive,  with   five 


166  BOTH  SIDES   THE    BORDER 

flanking  towers,  and  its  vast  strength  was  calculated  to  defy 
the  utmost  efforts  of  the  Welsh  to  capture  it.  It  was  but  a 
short  distance  thence  to  the  valley  of  the  Dee,  in  which  was 
the  estate  of  Glendower,  extending  for  some  eight  miles  north 
into  what  is  now  the  neighbourhood  of  Llangollen. 

As  one  of  the  detachments  had  arrived  before  daybreak,  and 
the  other  two  hours  after  dark,  it  was  improbable  that  their 
advent  had  been  noticed,  and  at  the  request  of  the  knight  who 
commanded  the  troop  from  Ruthyn  the  gates  of  the  castle  had 
been  kept  closed  all  day,  no  one  being  allowed  to  enter  or 
leave.  At  daybreak  the  next  morning  the  whole  force  sallied 
out.  Three-quarters  of  an  hour  later  they  dashed  down  into 
the  valley  at  a  point  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  Glendower's 
dwelling.  This  was  a  very  large  and  stately  building.  Near  it 
stood  a  guest-house  and  a  church,  and  all  the  appurtenances 
of  a  man  of  high  rank.  It  was  called  Sycharth.  Here  Glen- 
dower maintained  an  almost  princely  hospitality,  for  in  addition 
to  this  estate  he  possessed  others  in  South  Wales. 

More  especially  bards  were  welcomed  here  ;  some  resided 
for  months,  others,  who  simply  paused  on  their  rambles  through 
the  country,  remained  but  for  a  few  days  ;  but  all  were  received 
with  marked  honour  by  Glendower,  who  was  well  aware  of  the 
important  services  that  they  could  render  him.  Indeed  it  was 
on  them  that  he  relied  to  no  small  extent  to  arouse  the  feelings 
of  the  populace,  and  his  hospitality  was  well  repaid  by  the 
songs  they  sung  in  hall  and  cottage  in  his  praise,  and  by  their 
prophecies  that  he  was  destined  to  restore  the  ancient  glories 
of  the  country.  The  house  was  surrounded  by  a  moat  and 
wall,  but  had  otherwise  no  defensive  works,  as  for  a  hundred 
years  the  English  and  Welsh  had  dwelt  peaceably  side  by  side  ; 
many  of  the  castles  were  indeed  held  by  Welshmen,  and  there 
were  few  garrisons  but  had  a  considerable  proportion  of  WTelsh 
in  their  ranks. 


A   BREACH   OF   DUTY  167 

It  was  singular  that  Glendower  should,  after  his  defiance  of 
the  king,  and  the  raids  that  had  lately  been  made,  have  con- 
tinued to  dwell  in  a  spot  so  open  to  attack,  and  within  striking 
distance  of  the  three  great  castles  of  Ruthyn,  Chirk,  and  Holt. 
Certain  it  is  that  he  kept  no  garrison  that  would  suffice  to  offer 
a  stout  defence  against  a  strong  band,  although  the  precaution 
was  taken  of  keeping  a  watchman  night  and  day  in  one  of  the 
turrets.  The  sound  of  his  horn  was  heard  by  the  horsemen  as 
soon  as  they  began  to  descend  the  hill. 

"  A  pest  on  the  knave  !  "  Lord  Grey  exclaimed.  "  He  will 
slip  through  our  fingers  yet." 

It  was  scarce  a  minute  later  when  a  mounted  man  was  seen 
to  dash  out  at  full  speed  from  the  other  side  of  the  building. 
He  was  evidently  well  mounted,  and  although  the  pursuit  was 
hotly  kept  up  for  two  miles,  he  gained  the  forest  while  they 
were  still  a  quarter  of  a  mile  behind  him,  and  was  lost  to  view, 
for  although  they  beat  the  wood  for  some  distance  they  could 
find  no  traces  of  him.  When  passing  by  the  house  a  detach- 
ment of  a  hundred  men  were  ordered  to  surround  it,  and  to 
suffer  none  to  enter  or  leave  it.  On  the  return  of  the  pursuing 
party  the  house  was  entered,  and  ransacked  from  end  to  end. 
The  male  retainers  found  in  it  were  ruthlessly  killed ;  the  fur- 
niture, which  showed  at  once  the  good  taste  and  wealth  of  the 
owner,  was  smashed  into  pieces,  the  hangings  torn  down,  and 
the  whole  place  dismantled.  Only  two  female  attendants  were 
found,  and  these  were  suffered  by  Earl  Talbot's  orders  to  go 
free. 

"  This  is  evidently  the  ladies'  bower  when  they  happen 
to  be  here,"  Lord  Grey  said,  as  an  hour  later  he  entered  a 
room  in  one  of  the  turrets  which  had  been  already  plundered 
by  the  soldiers.  "  'T  is  a  pity  that  we  did  not  find  one  or  two 
of  Glendower's  daughters  here  ;  they  would  have  been  invalu- 
able  as   hostages.     We   were   too   hasty,  Talbot.     We   should 


168  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

have  closely  questioned  some  of  the  men  or  those  two  women, 
and  should  have  found  means  to  learn  whether  they  were  stay- 
ing here.  It  may  be  that  it  was  so,  and  that  they  are  even 
now  concealed  in  some  secret  hiding-place  hard  by." 

He  at  once  called  up  several  of  his  men,  and  set  them  to 
search  every  room  in  the  turret  for  some  sign  of  an  entrance 
to  a  secret  chamber ;  but  although  the  walls  were  all  tapped, 
and  the  floors  examined  stone  by  stone,  no  clue  was  found  to 
such  an  entrance  if  it  existed.  The  house,  which  was  built 
entirely  of  stone,  offered  no  facilities  for  destroying  it  by  fire. 
The  doors  were  all  hewn  down,  the  gates  in  the  wall  taken  off 
their  hinges  and  thrown  into  the  moat,  being  too  massive  to 
be  destroyed  by  the  arms  of  the  soldiers.  The  outlying 
buildings  were  all  burned  down,  the  vineyard  rooted  up,  and 
the  water  turned  out  of  the  fish-pond.  Then,  greatly  vexed  at 
their  failure  to  seize  Glendower  himself,  the  two  nobles  rode 
back  to  Chirk,  leaving  a  hundred  men,  of  whom  the  band 
from  Ludlow  formed  part,  under  two  of  Earl  Talbot's  knights, 
to  retain  possession  of  the  house  until  it  should  be  decided 
whether  it  should  be  levelled  stone  by  stone,  or  left  stand- 
ing to  go  with  the  estate  to  whomsoever  the  king  might 
assign  it. 

By  Lord  Grey's  advice,  sentries  were  posted  outside  the 
walls  from  nightfall  till  daybreak,  to  prevent  any  risk  of  sur- 
prise by  Glendower,  whose  spies  might  take  him  word  that  the 
main  body  of  the  assailants  had  left.  One  of  the  great  halls 
had  been  left  untouched  to  serve  for  the  use  of  the  garrison, 
and  as  an  abundance  of  victuals  were  found  in  the  house  and 
the  cellar  was  well  stocked  with  wines,  it  was  but  a  short  time 
before  the  garrison  made  themselves  thoroughly  comfortable. 
As  soon  as  it  became  dark  twenty  men  were  placed  on  watch. 
Oswald  with  his  party  were  to  take  the  third  watch  at  midnight, 
and  Mortimer's  men-at-arms  the  second.     The  captain  of  each 


A   BREACH    OF   DUTY  169 

band  was  to  place  the  men  at  such  points  as  he  might  select. 
Alwyn  talked  the  matter  over  with  his  nephew. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  the  former  said,  "that  there  is  but  a 
small  chance  of  anyone  trying  to  leave  the  castle,  and  at  any 
rate  if  they  did  so  it  would  scarcely  be  over  the  wall,  for  a 
splash  in  the  moat  would  at  once  betray  them.  Moreover,  I 
love  not  killing  in  cold  blood,  and  should  any  poor  fellows  be 
stowed  away  somewhere,  I  should  be  willing  enough  to  let 
them  go  free." 

"  I  agree  with  you  altogether,  Alwyn,"  Oswald,  who  had 
not  heard  the  talk  between  Grey  and  Talbot  concerning  Glen- 
dower's  daughters,  replied  heartily.  "  I  would  have  gladly 
saved  the  men  who  were  killed  to-day.  It  is  one  thing  to 
slay  in  battle,  but  to  slaughter  unresisting  men  goes  altogether 
against  my  grain." 

"  Then  as  we  are  agreed  on  that,  Oswald,  I  should  say  that 
we  had  best  place  the  greater  portion  of  our  men  well  away 
from  the  wall.  We  can  leave  two  at  the  gate,  and  set  two 
others  to  march  round  and  round  the  moat.  I  should  say  we 
had  best  plant  the  others  in  pairs  a  quarter  of  a  mile  round 
the  house.  It  is  vastly  more  important  to  prevent  Glendower 
from  recapturing  his  house  by  surprise  than  it  is  to  take 
prisoners  two  or  three  fellows  making  their  escape." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Alwyn." 

Accordingly  when  they  filed  out  from  the  gate  four  were 
posted  as  Alwyn  had  suggested  ;  the  rest  were  disposed  in 
pairs  in  a  circle  at  a  distance  round  the  house." 

"  I  will  keep  watch  with  Roger,"  Oswald  said.  "  T  is  some 
time  since  I  have  had  an  opportunity  for  a  talk  with  him.  I 
will  take  the  next  post  if  you  like.  The  wood  comes  closer 
to  the  house  there  than  at  any  other  point,  and  there  are 
patches,  behind  which  an  enemy  might  creep  up.  My  eyes 
and   ears  are   both  good  ;  and   as  for   Roger,  if  he  lifts  that 


170  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

mighty  voice  of  his  in  tones  of  alarm  it  will  reach  the  ears  of 
all  the  others,  and  be  the  signal  for  them  to  run  back  to  the 
gate  at  the  top  of  their  speed." 

"Very  well,  Oswald.  I  shall  walk  round  the  ground  and 
see  that  all  are  vigilant.  We  know  not  where  Glendower's 
men  were  lying ;  it  may  hap  they  were  twenty  miles  away,  but 
even  so  he  would  have  had  plenty  of  time  to  have  brought 
them  up  by  now.  I  don't  think  there  is  much  chance  of  any 
of  our  men  being  surprised,  most  of  them  having  in  their  time 
been  so  used  to  midnight  rides  across  moor  and  hill,  and  so 
accustomed  to  see  in  the  dark,  that,  crafty  as  the  Welshmen 
may  be,  I  do  not  think  there  is  a  chance  of  their  getting  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  any  of  our  posts  without  being  seen,  espe- 
cially as  the  moon  is  still  half  full." 

"  Do  you  think  that  there  is  any  chance  of  our  being  dis- 
turbed, Master  Oswald?"  Roger  said,  as  they  took  up  their 
post  under  a  low,  stunted  tree. 

"  I  do  not  think  so.  If  Glendower's  spies  have  told  him 
that  the  main  body  of  those  who  surprised  him  this  morning 
have  returned  to  Chirk,  he  may  be  sure  that  enough  have  been 
left  to  hold  the  place  successfully  against  him  and  his  wild  fol- 
lowers till  assistance  can  reach  us ;  and  he  would  have  nothing 
to  gain  by  recapturing  his  house,  for  he  could  not  hold  it  long 
against  the  force  assembled  at  Chirk.  Besides,  he  must  know 
well  enough  that  if  he  is  to  fight  successfully  it  must  be  in  the 
woods.  Whether  he  has  studied  the  black  art  or  no,  there  is 
little  doubt  that  he  has  turned  his  attention  greatly  to  military 
matters,  and  that  he  is  a  foe  who  is  not  to  be  despised.  He  is 
playing  a  deep  game,  and  will  give  us  a  deal  of  trouble,  unless 
I  am  greatly  mistaken,  before  we  have  done  with  him." 

"  I  hear  all  sorts  of  strange  stories  of  his  powers,  Master 
Oswald." 

"Yes;    but  you  see,  Roger,  the  spirits  who,  as  they  say, 


A    BREACH    OF   DUTY  171 

serve  him,  cannot  be  of  much  use,  or  they  would  have  warned 
him  of  the  coming  of  Talbot,  and  we  should  not  have  taken 
him  unawares  this  morning." 

"That  is  true  enough,"  Roger  said  in  a  tone  of  relief.  "  For 
my  part  I  am  not  greatly  alarmed  at  spirits.  The  good  abbot 
used  to  threaten  me  that  I  should  be  carried  off  by  them  unless 
I  mended  my  ways,  but  I  always  slept  soundly  enough,  and 
never  saw  aught  to  frighten  me.  They  used  to  say  that  the 
spirits  of  some  of  the  dead  monks  used  to  walk  in  the  convent 
garden,  but  though  my  cell  looked  down  upon  it,  and  I  have 
often  stood  there  by  the  hour,  never  did  I  see  anything  to 
frighten  me.  If  the  Welsh  do  come,  what  are  we  to  do, 
master?  —  fight  them?" 

"  By  no  means,  Roger.  Our  duty  is  to  watch  and  not  to 
fight.  You  must  lift  up  your  voice  and  shout  as  loud  as  you 
can,  and  then  we  must  run  to  the  gate.  There  we  can  make  a 
fight  till  the  rest  join  us.  But,  whatever  you  do,  do  not  shout 
until  I  tell  you.  A  false  alarm  would  raise  the  whole  garri- 
son, and,  if  nought  came  of  it,  would  make  us  a  laughing- 
stock." 

While  they  were  talking,  both  were  keeping  a  close  look-out 
on  the  ground  in  front  of  them,  and  also  to  the  right  and  left, 
for  the  watches  were  two  hundred  yards  apart,  and  they  had 
to  make  sure  that  no  party  of  the  enemy  slipped  unseen  be- 
tween them.  Suddenly  Roger  plucked  Oswald's  sleeve,  and 
said  in  a  whisper : 

"  Unless  my  eyes  deceive  me,  master,  I  saw  two  dark  figures 
flit  from  that  clump  of  bushes  some  forty  yards  away  to  those 
next  to  them.     There  they  go  again  !  " 

"  I  see  them,  Roger.  It  may  be  that  they  are  spies  who 
have  crept  up  close.     Let  us  give  chase  to  them." 

"Shall  I  shout,  master?" 

"  No,  no.     This  is  not  an  attack.     Stoop  as  low  as  you  can, 


172  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

or  if  they  look  back  they  will  see  that  great  figure  of  yours  and 
be  off  like  hares.     Run  as  softly  as  you  can." 

Stooping  low  they  set  off  at  a  run,  and  being  certain  that 
the  figures  were  making  straight  for  the  forest,  they  did  not 
pause  to  get  another  glimpse  of  them,  but  ran  straight  on. 
They  had  gone  some  seventy  or  eighty  yards  when  they  heard 
a  stifled  exclamation,  and  then,  without  further  attempt  at 
concealment,  two  figures  rose  from  a  bush  twenty  yards  ahead 
and  fled  for  the  forest.  There  was  no  more  occasion  for  stoop- 
ing, and  at  the  top  of  their  speed  Oswald  and  Roger  pursued 
the  fugitives.  These  ran  fast,  but  Oswald,  who  had  outpaced 
his  heavier  companion,  came  up  to  them  when  within  fifty 
yards  of  the  edge  of  the  forest,  and,  passing  them,  drew  his 
sword  and  faced  them. 

"Surrender,"  he  said,  "or  I  will  cut  you  down." 

Instead  of  the  fierce  spring  that  he  had  anticipated,  the  two 
figures  stopped  suddenly,  exchanged  a  word  in  Welsh,  and  then 
dropped  their  cloaks.  To  Oswald's  astonishment  two  young 
women  stood  before  him.  They  evidently  belonged  to  the 
upper  class.  Both  were  richly  dressed  ;  they  wore  heavy  gold 
chains  round  their  necks,  and  bracelets  of  the  same  metal  set, 
as  Oswald  noticed  by  the  reflection  of  the  moon,  with  jewels. 
They  had  also  brooches,  and  their  girdles  were  held  in  with 
massive  gold  clasps. 

By  this  time  Roger  had  come  up  and  stood  staring  with 
astonishment. 

"  Take  these,  good  fellows,"  the  girl  said  in  English,  as  she 
began  to  unfasten  her  necklace.  "  Take  these  and  let  us  go  ; 
they  will  make  you  rich." 

"  I  am  an  esquire  of  Sir  Henry  Percy,"  Oswald  said,  "and  I 
rob  not  women.  By  your  appearance  I  should  judge  you  to 
be  daughters  of  Glendower." 

"  It  would  be  useless  to  deny  it,"  one  of  the  girls  said 
proudly. 


rO    OSWALDS    ASTON1SHMEN1     TWO    YOUNG    WOMEN    STOOD 
BEFORE    HIM. 


A    BREACH    OF    DUTY  173 

"Why  do  you  come  spying  here?"  Oswald  said.  "Surely 
among  your  father's  warriors  others  better  suited  for  such 
work  might  have  been  found." 

"We  were  not  spying,"  the  girl  replied.  "We  have  lain 
hidden  all  day,  and  were  but  making  our  escape." 

"  How  can  that  be,  madam  ?  We  had  a  guard  all  round  the 
castle,  and  know  that  none  can  have  escaped." 

"  Being  an  esquire,  you  are  a  gentleman,  sir,  and  will  not 
disclose  what  I  am  about  to  tell  you ;  though,  indeed,  now  that 
/,ur  father's  house  is  in  your  hands,  it  boots  not  much  whether 
the  secret  is  known.  There  is  a  secret  passage  from  the 
castle  that  opens  into  these  bushes,  and  it  was  through  that 
that  we  issued  out,  having  been  in  hiding  all  day  in  the  secret 
chamber  from  which  it  leads.  Well,  sir,  we  are  your  prisoners, 
and  shall,  I  suppose,  be  sent  to  London,  there  to  be  held  until 
our  father  is  in  the  usurper's  hands,  which  will  not  be,  believe 
me,  for  years  yet." 

Oswald  was  silent.  The  two  girls,  some  seventeen  or 
eighteen  years  of  age,  both  possessed  singular  beauty  they 
had  inherited  from  their  father,  and  bore  themselves  with  an 
air  of  fearlessness  that  won  his  admiration.  He  was  still  but  a 
lad  ;  and  thinking  of  the  years  these  fair  girls  might  pass  in  a 
prison,  he  felt  a  deep  pity  for  them.     He  drew  Roger  aside. 

"  What  think  you,  Roger,  must  we  send  these  fair  young 
girls  to  prison?" 

"  In  faith,  I  know  not,  master.  Having  been  shut  up  many 
a  time  in  a  cell,  I  have  a  sort  of  fellow-feeling  for  prisoners ; 
and  indeed  two  fairer  maidens  I  have  never  seen.  Our  orders 
were  to  look  after  Welshmen,  and  see  that  they  did  not 
attack  us ;  no  word  was  said  of  Welsh  women.  And  besides, 
they  were  running  away,  and  not  thinking  of  attacking  us." 

"  That  is  all  very  well,  Roger,  but  I  cannot  deceive  myself. 
There  is  no   doubt   that   it  is  our    duty  to    take    these    two 


174  710TH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

maidens  prisoners,  but  my  heart  aches  at  the  thought  that 
they  might  pass  years  of  their  lives  in  a  prison.  They  are  not 
responsible  for  their  father's  misdeeds  and  ambition,  and  it 
may  be  that,  if  they  are  restored,  Glendower  may  be  induced 
to  treat  those  who  fall  into  his  hands  mercifully.  None  but 
ourselves  know  of  this,  and  no  one  need  ever  know.  I  will 
risk  it  anyhow,"  he  said  after  a  short  pause ;  "  I  know  that 
I  am  not  doing  my  duty  in  letting  them  go,  and  that  were 
it  ever  known,  I  should  lose  all  chance  of  further  advance- 
ment, if  indeed  I  did  not  lose  my  life.  However,  it  need  never 
be  known,  and  my  conscience  would  sorely  trouble  me  whenever 
I  thought  of  them  shut  up  in  one  of  King  Henry's  prisons." 

He  turned  to  the  girls  again. 

"Think  you,  ladies,"  he  asked,  "that  were  you  in  the  king's 
hands  your  father  would  make  terms  and  submit  himself?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  the  one  who  had  spoken  before  said. 
"  He  has  other  children  —  sons  and  daughters  —  and  he 
would  not  dream  of  abandoning  his  rights  and  betraying  his 
country  to  obtain  the  liberty  of  two  of  us." 

"  In  that  case,  then,  your  imprisonment  would  in  no  degree 
stop  this  war  or  bring  about  a  renewal  of  peace  between  the 
two  countries?  " 

"  Certainly  not ;  and  as  for  us,  we  would  strangle  ourselves 
in  prison  did  we  think  that  any  thought  of  us  would  turn  our 
father  from  his  noble  purpose." 

"  Then  in  that  case,"  Oswald  said  quietly,  "  it  is  clear  that 
your  captivity  would  do  nought  to  bring  about  peace  or  to 
allay  the  troubles  that  have  now  begun.  Therefore  I  will  take 
on  me  to  let  you  go,  though  in  so  doing  I  maybe  failing  some- 
what in  my  duty.  Only  promise  me  that  in  the  future  you 
will  use  what  influence  you  may  possess  with  your  father  to 
obtain  kind  treatment  for  prisoners  who  may  fall  into  his 
hands." 


A   BREACH   OF   DUTY  175 

The  expression  of  haughty  defiance  that  they  had  hitherto 
worn  faded  from  the  girls'  faces. 

"  We  shall  never  forget  your  kindness,  sir,"  one  said  in  a 
low  voice.  "  We  thank  you  with  all  our  hearts,  not  so  much 
for  our  own  sake  as  for  our  father's.  He  has  been  cruelly  ill- 
used,  he  has  much  to  trouble  him,  and  although  I  know  that  our 
captivity  would  not  turn  him  from  his  purpose,  it  could  not 
but  greatly  grieve  and  trouble  him,  and  he  has  already  troubles 
enough  on  his  shoulders.  Will  you  accept  one  of  these  jewels 
as  a  token  only  of  our  gratitude  for  your  kindness  shown  this 
night  to  us?" 

"  Thanks,  lady,  but  no  gift  will  I  take.  I  am  failing  in  my 
duty,  but  at  least  it  shall  not  be  said  that  I  received  aught  for 
doing  so." 

"  Then  at  least  —  "  the  girl  began,  turning  to  Roger. 

"  No,  lady,"  the  man-at-arms  said.  "  I  am  neither  knight 
nor  esquire,  but  a  simple  soldier,  but  I  take  no  presents  for 
saving  two  maidens  from  capture  and  captivity.  I  have  been 
a  monk  all  my  life,  though  now  a  man-at-arms.  Never  before 
have  I  had  an  opportunity  of  doing  aught  of  kindness  for  a 
woman,  and  I  am  glad  that  the  chance  has  fallen  in  my  way." 

"May  I  ask  the  name  of  one  who  has  done  us  such  kind- 
ness?" the  girl  said,  turning  to  Oswald. 

"  It  were  best  not,  lady.  It  is  a  service  that  might  cost  me 
my  head  were  it  to  be  bruited  about.  'T  is  best,  then,  that 
even  you  should  not  know  it.  I  doubt  not  that  you  would 
preserve  the  secret ;  but  you  would  perhaps  mention  it  to 
your  father,  and  it  were  best  that  it  were  known  to  none." 

The  girls  were  silent  for  a  minute. 

"  Sir,"  the  elder  said,  after  exchanging  a  word  or  two  with 
her  sister,  "  we  would  ask  a  boon  of  you.  The  successes  in  a 
war  are  not  always  on  one  side.  My  sister  and  I  will  think 
often  of  one  who  has  so  greatly  befriended  us,  and  were  you 


17G  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

by  any  accident  of  war  to  fall  into  the  Welsh  hands,  and 
should  evil  befall  you,  it  would  be  a  deep  grief  to  us.  We 
pray  you  then,  sir,  to  accept  this  little  gold  necklet.  Its  value 
is  small  indeed,  but  it  was  given  to  me  when  a  child  by  my 
father.  My  name  and  his  are  engraved  on  the  clasp.  Should 
you  at  any  time  of  stress  send  this  to  my  father,  right  sure  am 
I  that  on  recognising  it  he  would  treat  as  dear  friends  those 
who  have  done  so  much  for  his  daughters.  I  pray  you  to 
accept  it,  and  to  wear  it  always  round  your  neck  or  wrist,  and 
if  it  should  never  prove  useful,  to  you  it  will  at  least  recall  us 
to  your  thoughts." 

"  I  cannot  be  so  churlish,  lady,  as  to  refuse  your  token  so 
offered ;  and  though  I  hope  that  it  will  not  be  needful  to  use  it 
as  you  say  —  for  indeed,  I  expect  to  return  very  shortly  to  my 
lord  in  Northumberland  —  it  will  be  a  pleasant  remembrance 
of  the  service  that  a  good  fortune  has  enabled  me  to  render  to 
two  fair  maidens.  Be  assured  that  I  shall  ever  keep  your 
necklet  for  the  sake  of  the  givers.  And  now,  farewell !  We 
must  be  back  at  our  post,  for  the  captain  of  the  guard  will  be 
going  his  round,  and  we  might  be  missed." 

"  We  shall  never  forget  you,  sir.  May  the  blessing  of  God 
fall  on  you  for  your  kind  deed  ! " 

"  May  all  good  fortune  attend  you  !  "  Oswald  answered  ;  and 
then  with  Roger  he  made  his  way  back  to  his  post,  while  the 
girls  hurried  on  and  entered  the  forest. 


BAD   NEWS  1 1  i 

CHAPTER   XI 

BAD   NEWS 

"r  \  AHIS  has  been  a  strange  adventure,  Roger." 

J.  "  A  very  strange  one,  master.  Lord  Grey  would  tear 
his  hair  if  he  knew  that  those  two  pretty  birds  had  been 
hiding  in  the  cage  all  day  and  he  never  knew  it.  However,  I 
see  not  that  it  can  do  us  harm ;  nay,  more,  there  is  a  proba- 
bility that  it  may  even  benefit  us,  for  if  it  should  happen  by 
ill-fortune  we  should  ever  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Welsh, 
and  they  should  abstain  from  cutting  our  throats  then  and 
there,  perchance  these  young  ladies  would  repay  the  service 
we  have  rendered  them  by  taking  us  under  their  protection." 

"  It  may  be  so,  indeed,  Roger,  though  I  hope  that  I  shall 
never  hear  more  of  to-night's  adventure.  We  may  reason  as 
we  will,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  although  we  had  no  instruc- 
tions touching  the  capture  of  women  we  have  failed  in  our 
duty." 

"  That  will  in  no  way  trouble  me,  Master  Oswald.  When  I 
was  a  monk  I  failed  in  my  duty  scores  of  times,  and  am  no 
whit  the  worse  for  it,  rather  the  better  indeed,  since  it  is 
owing  to  my  failures  that  I  am  now  a  free  man-at-arms,  in- 
stead of  being  mewed  up  for  life  in  a  convent.  I  shall  not 
sleep  one  wink  less  for  having  saved  two  of  the  prettiest  girls 
I  ever  saw  from  having  been  shut  up  for  years  in  a  prison." 
"  I  am  afraid  your  sense  of  duty  is  not  strong,  Roger." 
"  I  am  afraid  not,  master,  saving  in  the  matter  of  doing  my 
duty  in  face  of  an  enemy." 

"  You  mean,  Roger,  that  you  will  do  your  duty  when  it  so 
pleases  you,  and  not  otherwise." 


178  BOTH   SIDES  THE   EORDER 

"  I  expect  that  is  the  way  with  a  good  many  of  us,"  Roger 
laughed.  "  I  wonder  whether  Lord  Grey  had  any  idea  that 
Glendower's  daughters  were  in  the  house  when  we  arrived 
there?" 

"  I  know  not,  but  I  remember  now  that  they  had  men 
searching  for  some  time  for  signs  of  secret  passages,  —  whether 
it  was  from  any  idea  that  Glendower's  daughters  might  be 
hidden  away  I  know  not." 

"  Truly  it  might  have  been,"  Roger  said,  "  for  I  saw  among 
the  spoil  that  was  carried  off,  when  the  others  rode  for  Chirk, 
some  silks  and  stuffs  that  looked  like  feminine  garments. 
There  is  somebody  coming  across  from  the  next  post,"  he 
broke  off.  "  Doubtless  it  is  the  captain.  You  would  not  tell 
him  what  we  have  done  ? " 

"  Certainly  not,  Roger.  My  uncle  is  an  old  soldier,  and 
though  he  would  not  for  my  sake  say  anything  about  it,  I 
think  not  that  he  would  approve  of  what  has  been  done.  'T  is 
best,  at  any  rate,  to  keep  it  entirely  to  ourselves." 

"All  quiet  here  as  elsewhere?"  Alwyn  asked  as  he  came  up. 

"All  quiet,  uncle." 

"  'T  is  well ;  for,  although  methinks  that  we  could  hold  the 
place  against  the  Welshmen,  we  could  hardly  hope  that  some 
of  our  posts  would  not  be  cut  off  before  they  could  reach  the 
house.  It  is  well  to  keep  watch,  but  the  more  I  think  of  it 
the  more  I  feel  that  Glendower  will  scarce  attack  us.  He 
could  not  hold  the  place  did  he  gain  it,  and  it  might  well  be 
that  after  we  were  turned  out  again  the  place  would  be  de- 
stroyed, seeing  that  it  would  need  two  or  three  hundred  men 
to  be  shut  up  here  in  garrison." 

After  waiting  half  an  hour  Alwyn  again  made  the  round  of 
the  posts,  and  then  went  in  to  rouse  the  party  that  were  to 
relieve  them.  As  soon  as  these  issued  out  the  sentries  were 
called    in,  and    stretched   themselves  for  three  hours'  sleep. 


BAD   NEWS  179 

Before  day  dawned  a  messenger  rode  in  from  Chirk,  bearing 
Earl  Talbot's  orders  for  the  evacuation  of  the  house,  as  there 
could  be  no  advantage  in  retaining  it,  and  were  it  empty 
Glendower  might  return  there  and  afford  them  another  oppor- 
tunity for  capturing  him.  On  the  following  day  the  party 
broke  up.  Lord  Grey  rode  with  his  men  to  Ruthyn,  and  the 
forty  men-at-arms  from  Ludlow  returned  to  that  town,  where 
a  few  days  later  the  news  arrived  that  Glendower  with  a  large 
following  had  established  himself  on  the  rugged  height  of 
Corwen,  and  was  engaged  in  strengthening  the  ancient  for- 
tifications on  its  summit. 

For  a  time  there  was  quiet  on  the  border,  and  then  came 
the  startling  news  that  Glendower  had  suddenly  surprised, 
plundered,  and  burnt  to  the  ground  the  town  of  Ruthyn, 
where  a  fair  was  being  held  at  the  time.  Then,  having  ob- 
tained great  booty  and  greatly  injured  his  enemy,  Lord  Grey, 
he  again  retired.  It  was  evident  that  no  local  force  of  suffi- 
cient strength  could  be  found  to  pursue  Glendower  into  his 
fastnesses  on  the  ranges  of  Berwyn  and  Snowdon,  and  noth- 
ing was  done  until,  three  months  later,  the  king,  on  his  return 
from  Scotland,  marched  into  Wales  with  the  levies  of  War- 
wickshire, Leicestershire,  and  eight  other  adjacent  counties, 
while  orders  were  issued  to  the  people  of  Shrewsbury  and 
other  towns  on  the  eastern  border  to  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness to  repel  any  movement  of  the  Welsh  in  that  direction. 

The  king,  however,  accomplished  nothing.  Glendower  with 
his  following  took  refuge  among  the  forests  of  Snowdon,  and 
the  English  army  marched  along  the  north  coast,  putting  to 
the  sword  a  few  bands  of  peasantry  who  ventured  to  oppose 
them,  crossed  to  the  Isle  of  Anglesey,  and  entering  the  Fran- 
ciscan monastery  of  Llanfaes  slew  some  of  the  monks  and 
carried  the  rest  to  England,  and  established  a  community  of 
English  monks  in  the  convent.     This  was  done  because  the 


180  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

Franciscans  had  been  supporters  of  the  late  king,  and  were 
believed  to  have  given  aid  and  encouragement  to  Glendower. 
The  Welsh  expedition  was  therefore  no  more  successful  than 
the  Scotch  had  been. 

For  a  time  matters  settled  down.  Glendower  was  occupied 
in  strengthening  his  position.  So  much'  had  his  reputation 
spread  that  large  numbers  of  Welshmen  who  had  settled  in 
England  now  sold  their  property,  gave  up  their  positions  and 
abandoned  their  careers,  and  made  their  way  across  the  border 
to  join  him.  Still,  for  some  months  no  operations  were  under- 
taken on  either  side,  and  a  week  after  the  return  of  the  king 
and  his  forces  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer  said  to  Oswald  : 

"  I  will  no  longer  keep  you  and  your  following  from  your 
lord's  side.  I  have  largely  strengthened  my  garrison,  and 
twenty  men,  however  valiant,  are  no  longer  of  importance. 
As  you  know,  I  should  not  have  asked  Percy  to  aid  me  had  I 
not  thought  that  perchance  he  might  have  come  himself,  bring- 
ing with  him  two  or  three  hundred  men,  and  that  my  sister 
might  have  accompanied  him.  Maybe,  if  matters  go  on  quietly 
on  the  northern  marches,  he  may  be  able  to  do  so  yet ;  but  I 
fear  that  the  Scotch  will  take  advantage  of  the  troubles  here, 
and  may,  for  aught  I  know,  have  entered  into  communication 
with  Glendower  so  that  they  may  together  harass  the  kingdom. 
I  have  written  several  times  to  him  telling  him  what  good 
service  you  and  his  men  have  rendered,  and  that  I  would  I 
had  five  hundred  such  good  fighters  with  me,  in  which  case  I 
would  undertake  single-handed  to  bring  this  fellow  to  reason. 

"  I  have  written  a  letter  which  I  will  hand  you  to  deliver, 
saying  that,  as  at  present  things  are  quiet  and  Glendower  is  in 
hiding  among  the  mountains,  I  have  sent  you  back  to  him,  not 
without  the  hope  that,  should  greater  events  take  place,  he 
himself  will  come  hither  for  a  while  to  give  me  the  benefit  of 
his  knowledge  of  border  warfare,  even  if  he  comes  accom- 


BAD   NEWS  181 

panied  only  by  my  sister  and  a  dozen  spears.  I  may  tell  you 
that  some  two  months  since  he  wrote  saying  that  he  should  be 
glad  to  have  you  and  the  captain  of  his  garrison  of  Alnwick 
back  again,  and  I  then  wrote  to  him  saying  that  while  the 
king  was  in  Wales  I  would  hold  you,  seeing  that  Glendower 
might  make  a  great  foray  here  while  the  king  was  hunting  for 
him  in  the  north,  but  that  as  soon  as  he  left  with  his  army  I 
would  send  you  home." 

Alwyn  and  the  men  were  all  well  pleased  when  they  heard 
that  they  were  to  return,  for  since  the  raid  on  Glendower's 
house  their  life  had  been  a  dull  one,  to  which  even  the  fact 
that  they  were  receiving  pay  from  Sir  Edmund  as  well  as  from 
Percy  was  insufficient  to  reconcile  them,  and  it  was  with  light 
hearts  that  they  started  on  the  following  morning  for  the 
north,  arriving  at  Alnwick  ten  days  after  leaving.  Sir  Hotspur 
came  down  into  the  court-yard  as  they  rode  into  the  castle. 

"  Welcome  back,  Oswald,  and  you,  my  trusty  Alwyn  !  I 
thank  you  all,  my  men,  for  the  manner  in  which  you  have 
borne  yourselves,  and  that  you  have  shown  the  men  of  the 
west  how  stoutly  we  Northumbrians  can  hold  our.  own  in  the 
day  of  battle.  I  am  glad  indeed  to  find  that  all  that  went 
have  returned  home,  some  bearing  scars  indeed,  but  none  dis- 
abled. I  will  instruct  your  captain  to  grant  all  of  you  a  month's 
leave  to  pay  a  visit  to  your  families.  You  must  sup  with  us 
to-night,  Alwyn,  and  give  us  a  full  account  of  your  doings,  and 
also  your  frank  opinion  as  to  the  state  of  things  in  the  west, 
and  the  probability  of  long  trouble  with  this  strange  Welshman 
who  has  so  boldly  taken  up  arms  and  defied  the  strength 
of  England." 

It  was  nearly  a  year  since  the  party  had  left  Alnwick,  and 
Oswald  had  in  that  time  greatly  increased  in  height  and 
strength.  He  was  now  eighteen,  and  as  he  was  nearly  six  feet 
in  height,  and  his  figure  had  filled  out  greatly  since  he  had 


182  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

left  his  home,  he  might  well  have  passed  as  three  or  four  years 
older  than  his  real  age.  That  evening  Alwyn  gave  a  full 
account  of  their  fray  with  the  Welsh. 

"  These  men  fight  stoutly,  Alwyn,"  Percy  said,  when  he  had 
concluded  his  story. 

"  Right  stoutly,  Sir  Henry,  and  were  their  discipline  equal 
to  their  bravery  they  would  be  formidable  opponents  indeed ; 
but  as  it  is,  they  are  quite  unable  to  stand  against  men-at-arms 
in  a  set  battle.  In  this  respect  they  are  by  no  means  equal  to 
the  Scotch,  but  for  surprises  or  irregular  fighting  I  could  wish 
to  see  no  better  men." 

"  It  is  an  unfortunate  affair,"  Percy  said.  "  It  seemed  that 
we  had  finished  with  Wales  at  Llewellyn's  death,  and  that  the 
two  nations  had  become  one.  In  London  and  many  other 
places  they  were  settled  among  us.  Numbers  of  them  studied 
at  our  universities,  and  in  Shropshire,  Radnor,  Flint,  and  other 
border  counties  I  have  heard  that  most  of  the  labouring  men 
were  Welsh  and  have  come  to  speak  our  language,  and  indeed 
they  form  no  small  portion  of  the  garrisons  of  the  castles ;  so 
much  so  that  I  fear  that  should  the  Welsh  really  ravage  the 
border  counties  't  is  like  that  not  a  few  of  the  castles  will  fall 
into  their  hands  by  the  treachery  of  their  fellow-countrymen 
in  the  garrisons.  Sir  Edmund  speaks  very  highly  of  you, 
Oswald,  not  only  for  your  behaviour  in  the  fight,  which  was 
reported  to  him  by  Sir  James  Burgon,  a  knight  well  fitted  to 
judge  in  such  matters,  but  as  an  inmate  of  his  castle.  He 
said  that,  from  your  conversation,  he  has  conceived  a  high 
opinion  of  you.  At  present  things  are  somewhat  quiet  here, 
and  it  were  well  that  you  should,  like  your  uncle,  take  a 
holiday  for  a  time  and  visit  your  father  and  mother.  They 
have  sent  over  several   times   for  news  of  you." 

The  next  morning  Oswald  mounted  and  rode  off,  attended 
by  Roger,  who  had  asked  Oswald  to  take  him  with  him,  as 


BAD  NEWS  183 

he  had  no  relations  he  cared  to  visit.  Alwyn  was  going  for  a 
few  days  only,  and  indeed  would  probably  have  declined  to 
take  a  holiday  at  all  had  not  Oswald  earnestly  begged  him  to 
go  with  him. 

"  Tis  two  years  since  you  have  been  there,"  Oswald  said. 

"  That  is  so,  Oswald,  but  I  have  often  been  longer  without 
seeing  my  brother ;  and,  in  truth,  of  late  I  have  had  so  little 
to  do,  with  but  twenty  men  to  look  after,  that  I  long  for  reg- 
ular work  and  drill  again.  Still,  it  were  best  that  I  went  with 
you.  There  are  turbulent  times  on  hand,  both  on  this  border, 
in  Wales,  and  maybe  in  France.  I  may  get  myself  killed,  and 
your  father's  house  may  be  harried  again  by  the  Bairds,  and 
he  may  not  succeed  in  getting  off  scathless  as  he  did  last  time, 
and  I  should  blame  myself  afterwards  if  I  had  not  seen  him 
and  shaken  his  hand  when  I  had  an  opportunity  such  as  the 
present." 

Oswald  had  seen  so  much  during  the  two  years  that  had 
passed  since  he  first  left  the  hold,  that,  as  he  rode  towards  it, 
it  seemed  strange  that  everything  should  be  going  on  as  if  it 
was  but  the  day  before  that  he  had  ridden  away  —  the  only 
difference  being  that  the  hold  looked  strangely  small  and  of 
little  account  after  the  many  strong  castles  he  had  seen.  As 
soon  as  they  reached  the  moor  within  sight  of  the  hold  a 
horseman  was  seen  to  leave  it,  and  ride  at  a  gallop  towards 
them. 

"That  is  ever  the  way,"  Oswald  said;  "we  like  to  know, 
when  a  visitor  is  seen,  whether  he  comes  as  friend  or  foe." 

As  the  moss-trooper  rode  up  and  was  about  to  put  the  cus- 
tomary question,  he  recognised  Oswald,  and  wheeling  his  pony 
without  a  word  clashed  off  at  full  gallop,  waving  his  spear  and 
shouting  as  he  approached  the  hold.  They  rode  at  a  canter 
after  him,  and  as  they  reached  the  entrance  his  father  and 
mother  appeared  at  the  door  at  the  top  of  the  steps.      The 


184  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

latter  ran  down  the  steps,  and  as  Oswald  leapt  from  his  horse, 
threw  her  arms  around  his  neck. 

"Thank  God  you  are  back  again,  my  boy!"  she  cried; 
"  though  as  yet  I  can  hardly  believe  that  this  tall  fellow  is  my 
Oswald.     But  otherwise  you  are  in  no  way  changed." 

"  I  think,  mother,  that  you  are  looking  better  than  when  I 
saw  you  last." 

"  I  am  well,  dear,"  she  said.  "  We  have  had  a  quiet  year, 
and  no  cause  for  anxiety,  and  things  have  gone  well  with  us ; 
and  it  has  been  pleasant  indeed  for  us  to  have  received  such 
good  news  of  your  doings,  and  to  know  that  you  stood  so  well 
with  Hotspur." 

Oswald  now  ran  up  the  steps  to  greet  his  father,  who  was 
already  talking  with  Alwyn,  who  had  slipped  off  his  horse  and 
run  to  speak  to  his  brother  while  Oswald  was  occupied  with 
his  mother. 

"  Well,  lad,"  John  Forster  said,  laying  his  hand  upon  his 
shoulder  and  looking  him  up  and  down,  "  you  have  grown 
well-nigh  into  manhood.  I  always  said  that  you  would  over- 
top me,  and  though  methinks  that  I  have  still  three  inches 
of  advantage,  you  have  yet  time  to  grow  up  to  look  down 
on  me.  Well,  you  have  done  credit  to  us,  boy,  and  your 
monkish  reading  and  writing  has  not  harmed  you,  as  I  was 
afraid  it  would.  Alwyn  tells  me  that  no  man  of  Percy's  troop 
did  better  than  you  in  that  fight  with  the  Welsh,  save,  may- 
hap, that  big  man-at-arms  down  there,  who,  he  tells  me, 
cracked  the  skulls  of  four  Welshmen  who  were  trying  to  stab 
you,  besides  those  he  disposed  of  on  his  own  account." 

"  I  owe  him  my  life,  indeed,  father.  He  is  a  man  after 
your  own  heart,  strong  and  brave  and  hearty,  even  jovial 
when  occasion  offers.  He  can  troll  out  a  border  lay  with  the 
best,  and  can  yet  read  and  write  as  well  as  an  abbot.  His> 
name  is  Roger." 


BAD   NEWS  185 

"  Come  up,  Roger,"  John  Forster  shouted,  "  and  give  me  a 
grip  of  your  hand.  You  have  saved  my  son's  life,  as  he  tells 
me,  and  so  long  as  you  live  there  will  be  a  nook  by  the  fire 
here  and  a  hearty  welcome  when  you  are  tired  of  soldiering. 
In  truth,  you  are  a  mighty  man,"  he  went  on,  after  he  and 
Roger  had  exchanged  a  grip  that  would  have  well-nigh  broken 
the  bones  of  an  ordinary  man.  "  I  have  been  looked  upon  as 
one  able  to  strike  as  hard  a  blow  as  any  on  the  border,  but 
assuredly  you  would  strike  a  heavier  one.  Why,  man,  you 
must  be  five  or  six  inches  bigger  round  the  chest  than  I 
am." 

"You  have  been  an  active  man  from  your  youth,"  Roger 
replied,  "  ever  on  horseback  and  about,  while  I  spent  years 
with  nought  to  do  but  eat  and  drink  and  build  up  my  frame 
in  a  monastery." 

"  Oswald  told  us  in  his  letters  that  you  had  been  a  monk, 
but  had,  with  the  consent  of  the  abbot,  unfrocked  yourself." 

"  It  was  so,"  Roger  replied  with  a  laugh.  "  Methinks  that 
it  was  a  happy  day  for  the  abbot  as  well  as  for  myself  when 
I  laid  aside  my  gown,  for  I  fear  that  I  gave  him  more  trouble 
than  all  the  rest  of  his  convent.  Besides,  it  was  as  if  a  wolfs 
cub  had  been  brought  up  among  a  litter  of  ladies'  lap-dogs  —  it 
was  sure  to  be  an  ill  time  for  both." 

"  And  for  how  long  are  you  at  home  with  us,  brother 
Alwyn?  "  John  Forster  asked  presently. 

"  I  am  here  for  a  week  only,  John ;  but  Oswald  has  leave 
for  a  month,  seeing  that  at  present  there  is  no  great  chance 
of  Hotspur  needing  his  services.  The  Scotch  are  quiet  since 
the  king  returned,  I  hear." 

"  Ay,  they  are  as  quiet  as  is  their  nature  to  be,  but  't  is  not 
likely  to  last  long.  I  went  not  with  the  army,  but  I  hear 
that  Henry  behaved  so  gently  that  the  Scotch  feel  that  it 
would  be  almost  an  act  of  ingratitude  to  meddle  with  us  for 


186  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

a  time.  However,  that  will  not  last  long;  next  spring  they 
will  doubtless  be  storming  down  over  the  hills  again." 

The  holiday  passed  delightfully  to  Oswald.  Roger  enjoyed 
it  even  more.  It  was  so  long  since  the  latter  had  been  per- 
mitted the  freedom  of  riding  at  will  over  mountain  and  moor 
that  he  was  like  a  schoolboy  enjoying  an  altogether  unwonted 
holiday.  He  and  Oswald  scoured  the  country,  sometimes  re- 
turning late  in  the  afternoon,  but  often  staying  for  the  night 
at  the  houses  of  one  or  other  of  Oswald's  friends.  Once  they 
crossed  the  border,  and  rode  to  the  Armstrongs',  where  they 
stopped  for  a  couple  of  days,  bringing  Allan  and  Janet  back 
with  them ;  for  Roxburgh  was  still  held  by  the  English,  and 
unless  when  hostilities  were  actively  going  on,  the  people  of 
the  border,  save  the  marauders  who  were  always  ready  to  seize 
any  opportunity  that  offered  of  carrying  off  booty,  were  on 
friendly  terms  and  maintained  frequent  intercourse  with  each 
other. 

Alwyn  had  returned  to  Alnwick  when  his  leave  was  up.  He 
had  spent  his  time  quietly  at  the  hold.  He  and  his  brother 
had  discussed  many  plans  by  which  its  defences  could  be 
strengthened,  but  arrived  at  the  same  conclusion,  that  it  could 
defend  itself  at  present  against  any  small  party,  but  must  yield, 
however  much  its  defences  were  increased,  at  the  approach  of 
an  invading  army,  since,  even  with  the  assistance  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  surrounding  districts,  it  could  not  maintain  itself 
until  an  army  was  gathered  and  the  invaders  driven  out. 
Occasionally  an  afternoon  was  devoted  to  sports  on  the  moor, 
and  on  one  occasion  John  Forster  sent  messengers  down  to 
Yardhope  and  other  villages  on  the  Coquet,  and  to  the  holds 
of  his  neighbours,  inviting  them  to  come  to  a  gathering  at 
which  there  would  be  prizes  for  riding,  wrestling,  running, 
shooting,  and  feats  of  arms  on  horseback  and  foot,  and  at  which 
all  comers  would  be  entertained. 


BAD   NEWS  187 

The  result  was  a  gathering  such  as  had  not  taken  place  in 
that  part  of  the  country  for  years.  Over  a  thousand  people 
assembled,  comprising  women  as  well  as  men.  The  sports  be- 
gan early,  and  the  various  events  were  all  eagerly  contested. 
Ralph  Gray  won  the  horse-race,  a  horse  which  he  had  brought 
from  the  south  being  far  superior  in  speed  to  any  of  the  smaller 
border  horses,  although,  had  the  trial  been  for  endurance,  it 
would  have  had  but  small  chance  with  them.  The  shooting 
was  close,  one  of  Percy  Hope's  men  winning  at  last.  The 
quarter-staff  prize  was  awarded  to  Long  Hackett,  one  of  John 
Forster's  retainers.  At  wrestling  Roger  bore  off  the  palm. 
Some  of  his  opponents  were,  in  the  opinion  of  lookers-on, 
more  skilled  at  the  sport,  but  his  weight  and  strength  more 
than  counterbalanced  this,  and  one  after  another  tried  in  vain 
to  throw  him  to  the  ground,  succumbing  themselves  as  soon  as 
he  put  out  his  strength  and  theirs  began  to  be  exhausted,  when, 
drawing  them  up  to  him  with  irresistible  strength,  he  laid  them 
quietly  on  the  ground. 

Oswald  himself  carried  off  the  palm  in  a  mile  foot-race.  At 
one  o'clock  the  sports  were  concluded.  While  they  had  been 
going  on  a  score  of  men  were  attending  to  the  great  joints 
roasting  over  bonfires,  six  bullocks  having  been  slaughtered 
the  day  before.  Ducks,  geese,  and  chickens  innumerable  were 
also  cooking ;  while,  for  the  table  in  the  hold,  at  which  the 
principal  guests  sat  down,  were  trout,  game,  and  venison 
pasties.  Here  wine  was  provided,  while  outside  a  long  row 
of  barrels  of  beer  were  broached  for  the  commonalty.  Dinner 
over,  there  was  singing  and  dancing.  Alwyn  had  engaged 
and  sent  from  Alnwick  a  score  of  musicians.  These  were 
divided  into  five  parties,  stationed  at  some  little  distance  apart, 
and  round  these  the  younger  portion  of  the  gathering  soon 
grouped  themselves  ;  while  the  elders  listened  to  border  lays 
sung  by  wandering  minstrels.     The  days  were  shortening  fast, 


188  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

and  as  many  of  those  present  had  twenty  miles  to  ride,  by  six 
o'clock  the  amusements  came  to  an  end,  and  the  gathering 
scattered  in  all  directions,  delighted  with  the  clay's  proceed- 
ings, which,  although  they  would  have  been  thought  of  but 
small  account  in  the  southern  counties,  were  rare  indeed  in  a 
district  so  thinly  populated  and  so  frequently  engaged  in  tur- 
moil and  strife. 

Except  in  the  running  match,  Oswald  had  engaged  in  none 
of  the  contests,  he  being  fully  occupied  in  aiding  his  mother 
in  welcoming  the  guests  and  seeing  to  their  comfort,  while  his 
father,  assisted  by  his  friends,  Hope,  Gray,  and  Liddel,  super- 
intended the  arrangements  for  the  sports  and  acted  as  judges. 
In  the  afternoon  Oswald  and  his  cousins  had  joined  heartily  in 
the  dances,  and  enjoyed  the  day  to  the  full  as  much  as  their 
visitors. 

Gatherings  of  this  kind  were  not  uncommon.  Shooting, 
wrestling,  and  sword-playing  for  the  men,  and  dancing  on  the 
green  for  the  young  people,  took  place  at  most  of  the  village 
fairs,  but  the  gathering  at  Yardhope  was  long  talked  about 
as  a  special  occasion,  from  the  hospitality  in  which  all  were 
included,  and  the  number  of  the  heads  of  the  border  families 
who  were  present  and  took  part  in  the  proceedings.  Oswald's 
mother  had  been  the  prime  mover  in  the  matter.  She  was 
proud  of  her  son,  and  thought  that  it  was  a  good  occasion  to 
present  him  to  the  countryside  as  one  who  was  now  arriving 
at  manhood,  and  was  likely  in  time  to  make  a  figure  on  the 
border.  John  Forster  had  at  first  declared  that  it  was  wholly 
unnecessary,  and  that  such  a  thing  had  never  taken  place  in 
his  time  or  in  his  father's  before  him. 

"  That  may  be,  husband,"  she  said,  "  but  Oswald  has  been 
away  from  us  for  two  years,  and  it  may  be  as  much  more 
before  he  returns.  He  is  like  to  become  a  knight  before  long 
—  Alwyn  said  that  the  lad  was  sure  to  win  his  spurs  —  and  it 


BAD   NEWS  189 

would  be  well  that  he  should  not  slip  out  of  the  memory  of 
folks  here.  Besides,  we  have  his  cousins,  and  it  is  well  that 
they  should  carry  back  news  that  in  spite  of  the  troublous 
times  we  can  yet  be  merry  on  suitable  occasions.  The  cost 
will  not  be  very  great.  The  meat  can  scarcely  be  counted, 
seeing  that  we  have  as  many  cattle  on  the  moor  as  can  pick  up 
a  living  there.  Moreover,  our  neighbours  all  gave  us  a  helping 
hand  to  repair  the  hold  after  it  was  sacked  last  year,  and  't  is 
but  right  that  we  should  hold  some  sort  of  gathering,  and  this 
will  do  for  the  two  purposes." 

The  last  argument  had  more  weight  with  John  Forster  than 
the  former  ones.  Once  having  consented,  he  took  as  much 
interest  in  it  as  did  his  wife,  and  dug  up  the  pot  in  which 
he  stowed  away  any  sums  that  remained  at  the  end  of  each 
year  over  and  above  the  expenses  of  the  hold,  and  provided 
all  that  was  required  without  stinting.  Three  days  after  the 
gathering,  the  Armstrongs  returned  home,  and  Oswald  rode 
with  Roger  to  Alnwick.  The  next  three  months  passed  quietly 
and  uneventfully.  Snow  was  lying  deep  on  the  Cheviots,  and 
until  spring  there  was  little  chance  of  the  Scotch  making  a 
foray. 

Oswald  worked  hard  in  the  hall,  where  the  knights  kept 
themselves  in  exercise,  practised  with  the  young  squires,  and 
superintended  the  drilling  and  practice  of  the  men-at-arms,  of 
whom  the  number  at  the  castle  had  been  much  increased,  for 
none  doubted  that  in  the  spring  the  Scots  would,  after  Henry's 
invasion,  pay  a  return  visit  to  England,  and  that  the  northern 
counties  would  need  a  very  strong  force  to  hold  them  in  check. 
He  was  several  times  sent  by  Percy  with  messages  to  the 
governors  of  Roxburgh  and  Jedburgh,  and  to  other  com- 
manders, calling  upon  them  to  be  vigilant,  and  to  send  in  lists 
of  arms  and  stores  required,  so  that  all  should  be  in  good  order 
to   make  a  stout  resistance  when  the  need  came.     When  he 


190  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

had  received  no  special  orders  to  return  with  speed  to  Alnwick, 
Oswald  generally  found  time  to  pay  a  visit  of  a  few  hours  to 
the  Armstrongs. 

On  these  excursions  Roger  and  another  man-at-arms  always 
rode  with  him,  for  it  would  not  have  been  becoming  for  a  squire 
and  messenger  of  Hotspur  to  ride  without  such  escort.  Alwyn 
had  picked  out  for  Roger's  use  one  of  the  strongest  horses  in 
the  castle.  It  was  not  a  showy  animal,  having  a  big  ugly  head 
and  being  vicious  in  temper ;  therefore,  after  some  trial,  it  had 
been  handed  over  to  the  men-at-arms,  instead  of  being  retained 
for  the  service  of  the  knights.  It  had  at  first  tried  its  best  to 
establish  a  mastership  over  the  trooper,  but  it  soon  found  that 
its  efforts  were  as  nothing  against  the  strength  of  its  rider,  and 
that  it  might  as  well  try  to  shake  off  its  saddle  as  to  rid  itself 
of  the  trooper,  the  grip  of  whose  knees  almost  stopped  its 
breathing. 

Oswald,  too,  was  very  well  mounted,  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer 
having  presented  him  with  one  of  the  best  horses  in  the  stable 
upon  his  leaving  him.  Upon  nearing  Hiniltie  one  day,  just  as 
the  new  year  had  begun,  Oswald  was  alarmed  at  seeing  smoke- 
wreaths  ascending  from  the  knoll  behind  the  village  upon 
which  the  Armstrongs'  hold  stood.  Galloping  on  he  soon  saw 
that  his  first  impressions  were  correct,  and  that  his  uncle's 
tower  was  on  fire.     He  found  the  village  in  confusion. 

"What  has  happened?"  he  asked,  reining  in  his  horse  for 
a  moment. 

"The  hold  was  suddenly  attacked  two  hours  ago,"  a  man 
said.  "A  party  of  reivers  rode  through  here.  None  had  seen 
them  coming,  and  there  was  no  time  for  us  to  take  our  women 
and  children  and  hurry  to  the  shelter  of  the  hold.  Adam 
Armstrong  is  away  at  Roxburgh.  Young  Allan,  with  what  few 
men  there  were  at  the  hold,  had  but  just  time  to  shut  the 
gates,  but  these  were  hewed  down  in  a  short  time  by  the 


BAD   NEWS  191 

troopers.  There  was  a  stout  fight  as  they  entered.  Allan  was 
cut  down  and  left  for  dead,  and  the  troopers  were  all  killed. 
Dame  Armstrong  was  slain  and  her  daughters  carried  off  by 
the  reivers,  and  these,  as  soon  as  they  had  sacked  the  house, 
set  it  alight  and  galloped  off.  Most  of  the  men  here  were 
away  in  the  fields  or  with  the  flocks  in  the  valleys,  and  we  were 
too  few  to  hinder  them,  and  could  but  shut  ourselves  up  in 
the  houses  until  they  had  gone." 

Oswald  had  dropped  his  reins  in  speechless  dismay.  "  It  is 
terrible,"  he  said  at  last.  "Aunt  killed,  Janet  and  Jessie 
carried  away,  and  Allan  wounded,  perhaps  to  death  !  " 

"  Whence  came  these  villains  ?  "  he  asked  suddenly.  "  From 
beyond  the  Cheviots?  It  can  hardly  be  so,  for  this  part  is 
under  the  governor  of  Roxburgh,  and  no  English  raiders  would 
dare  to  meddle  with  any  here.  Besides,  my  uncle  has  always 
been  on  good  terms  with  them,  holding  himself  aloof  from  all 
quarrels,  and  having  friends  and  relations  on  both  sides  of  the 
border." 

"  We  believe  that  it  was  the  Bairds,"  a  man  said.  "  There 
has  long  been  a  standing  quarrel  between  them  and  the  Arm- 
strongs, partly  about  stolen  cattle,  but  more,  methinks,  because 
of  the  relationship  between  the  Armstrongs  and  your  people  " 
—  for  Oswald's  visits  to  his  uncle  had  made  his  face  familiar 
to  the  villagers  —  "  and  they  say  that  the  Bairds  have  sworn 
that  they  will  never  rest  until  they  have  slain  the  last  of  the 
Forsters." 

"  Where  is  Allan  Armstrong?  " 

"  They  have  carried  him  down  to  the  last  house  in  the  vil- 
lage. The  priest  and  Meg  Margetson,  who  knows  more  of 
wounds  and  simples  than  anyone  here,  are  with  him." 

"  Has  his  mother's  body  been  recovered?" 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

"The  hold  was  on  fire  from  roof  to  cellar  before  they  left," 


192  ROTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

he  said.  "  I  and  others  ran  up  there  directly  they  had 
galloped  away.  The  house  was  like  a  furnace.  And  indeed 
we  knew  not  of  her  death  until  a  boy  who  had  seen  her  slain, 
and  had  dropped  from  a  window  and  hidden  himself  till  they 
had  gone,  came  out  and  told  us.  He  and  two  or  three  others 
are  the  only  ones  left  alive  of  those  in  the  hold  when  we  arrived 
and  saved  young  Allan  ;  and,  indeed,  whether  he  lives  now  or 
not  I  know  not.  The  priest  said,  when  we  carried  him  in, 
that  his  state  was  almost  beyond  hope." 

Oswald  galloped  on  to  the  end  of  the  village,  leapt  from  his 
horse,  and  threw  the  reins  to  Roger,  who  had  been  muttering 
words  that  he  certainly  would  not  have  found  in  the  missals  or 
the  books  of  the  monastery. 

"  Is  there  nothing  to  be  done,  Master  Oswald  ?  " 

"  Not  at  present.     We  must  wait  till  my  uncle  returns." 

Then  he  entered  the  house.  He  had  met  the  priest  fre- 
quently during  his  stay  with  the  Armstrongs ;  as  he  entered 
the  room  he  was  standing  by  a  pallet  on  which  Allan  was  laid, 
while  a  very  old  woman  was  attending  to  a  decoction  that  was 
boiling  over  the  fire. 

"  Is  there  any  hope,  father?  " 

"I  know  not,"  the  priest  replied,  shaking  his  head  sorrow- 
fully. "  We  have  stanched  the  wounds,  but  his  head  is  well- 
nigh  cleft  open.  I  have  some  skill  in  wounds,  for  they  are 
common  enough  in  this  unfortunate  country,  and  I  should  say 
that  there  was  no  hope ;  but  Meg  here,  who  is  noted  through 
the  country  round  for  her  knowledge  in  these  matters,  thinks 
that  it  is  possible  he  may  yet  recover.  She  is  now  making  a 
poultice  of  herbs  that  she  will  lay  on  the  wound,  or  rather  on 
the  wounds,  for  he  has  no  less  than  four." 

"  I  think  that  he  will  live,  young  master,"  the  old  woman 
said  in  a  quavering,  high-pitched  voice.  "  'T  is  hard  to  kill  an 
Armstrong.     They  have  ever  been  a  hardy  race,  and,  save  the 


BAD   NEWS  193 

lad's  father,  have  ever  been  prone  to  the  giving  and  taking  of 
blows.  I  watched  by  his  grandfather's  bed  when  he  was  in  as 
sore  a  strait  as  this,  but  he  came  round,  and  was  none  the 
worse  for  it,  though  the  blow  would  have  killed  any  man  with 
a  softer  skull.  A  curse  upon  the  Bairds,  I  say;  they  have 
ever  been  a  race  of  thieves  and  raiders,  and  it  is  their  doings 
that  have  brought  trouble  on  the  border  as  long  as  I  can 
remember." 

"  Has  any  gone  to  bear  the  news  to  Adam  Armstrong, 
father?" 

"  Yes.  I  sent  off  a  messenger  on  horseback  as  soon  as  they 
had  gone.  Adam  left  early,  and  the  man  will  meet  him  on  his 
way  back." 

Half  an  hour  later,  indeed,  x\dam  Armstrong  rode  in. 
Oswald  met  him  outside.  His  face  was  set  and  hard,  and 
Oswald  would  scarce  have  recognised  the  kindly,  genial  man 
who  had  always  received  him  so  heartily. 

"There  are  hopes  that  he  will  live,"  Oswald  said.  There 
was  a  slight  change  in  the  expression  of  Armstrong's  face. 

u  'T  is  well,"  he  said,  "  that  one  should  be  saved  to  take 
revenge  for  this  foul  business.     All  the  others  are  gone." 

"  I  hope  we  may  rescue  my  cousins." 

"  We  might  as  well  try  to  rescue  a  young  lamb  that  had  been 
carried  off  by  an  eagle,"  he  said  bitterly.  "  Even  could  an 
archer  send  a  shaft  through  the  bird's  breast-bone,  the  lamb 
would  be  bleeding  and  injured  beyond  all  hope  ere  it  touched 
the  ground.  We  may  revenge,  Oswald,  but  I  have  no  hope 
of  rescue."  Then  he  went  into  the  house  without  further 
word. 


»3 


194  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

CHAPTER  XII 

A   DANGEROUS   MISSION 

HALF  an  hour  later  Adam  Armstrong  came  out  of  the 
cottage  where  his  son  was  lying.  His  mood  had  changed. 
He  had  gathered  hope  from  Meg  Margetson's  confident  assur- 
ances that  there  was  ground  for  it. 

"  Now,  let  us  talk  of  what  had  best  be  done,  Oswald,"  he 
said,  as  he  led  the  way  into  the  next  cottage,  where  the 
woman  at  once  turned  her  children  out  and  cleared  a  room 
for  him. 

"  What  force  could  you  gather,  uncle  ?  " 

"  In  my  grandfather's  time,"  he  said,  "  two  hundred  Arm- 
strongs and  their  followers  could  gather  in  case  of  need ;  but 
the  family  was  grievously  thinned  in  the  days  when  Edward 
carried  fire  and  sword  through  Scotland,  and  for  the  last  fifty 
years  Roxburgh  and  these  parts  have  been  mostly  under  English 
rule,  and  in  that  time  we  have  never  gathered  as  a  family. 
Still,  all  my  kin  would,  I  know,  take  up  this  quarrel,  and  I 
should  say  that  in  twelve  hours  we  could  gather  fifty  or  sixty 
stout  fighting  men.  But  the  Bairds  would  be  expecting  us, 
and  can  put,  with  the  families  allied  to  them  and  their 
retainers,  nigh  three  hundred  men  under  arms.  Their  hold  is 
so  strong  a  one  that  it  took  fifteen  hundred  Englishmen  under 
Umfraville  three  weeks  to  capture  it.  It  was  destroyed  then, 
but  it  is  stronger  now  than  ever.  Could  we  get  aid  from  Rox- 
burgh, think  you?" 

"  I  fear  not,  uncle.  I  know  that  the  governor  has  strict 
orders  not  to  give  Douglas  any  pretext  for  invading  us,  and  to 
hold  his  garrison  together,  since  the  earl  may  at  any  moment 
endavour  to  capture  the  town  before  help  could  arrive.     And 


A   DANGEROUS   MISSION  195 

even  were  he  to  send  four  or  five  hundred  men,  the  Bairds  could 
hold  out  for  a  fortnight  at  least,  and  long  before  this  Douglas 
would  be  down  with  an  array  to  his  rescue.  I  have  been  talk- 
ing it  over  with  my  trusty  companion  here,  and  he  agrees  with 
me  that  unless  a  body  of  men-at-arms  that  would  avail  to  cap- 
ture the  fortalice  by  a  sudden  assault  can  be  raised,  we  must 
trust  to  guile  rather  than  force ;  and  I  propose  that  he  and  I 
shall  at  once  start  for  the  hold  and  see  how  matters  stand,  and 
where  the  prisoners  are  confined,  and  what  hope  there  is  of 
getting  them  free.  I  propose  to  send  my  other  man  to  Yard- 
hope  to  tell  my  father  what  has  happened,  and  to  ask  him  to 
warn  his  friends  to  be  ready  to  cross  the  border  and  to  join 
any  force  you  can  gather  for  an  attack  on  the  Bairds.  It  is 
true  that  stringent  orders  have  been  issued  that  there  is  to  be 
no  raiding  in  Scotland,  but  my  father  would  not  heed  that  for 
a  moment :  the  attack  that  has  been  made  upon  you,  the  killing 
of  his  wife's  sister,  the  wounding  of  Allan,  and  carrying  off  of 
his  nieces  would  be  deemed  by  him  a  grievance  sufficient  to 
justify  his  disregarding  all  orders.  Besides  which  he  has  the 
old  grievance  against  the  Bairds,  which  is  all  the  more  bitter 
since  they  led  the  Scots  to  attack  Yardhope.  I  can  guarantee 
that  when  he  gets  word  from  you  as  to  the  day  and  place  he 
will  meet  you  there  with  at  least  a  hundred  spears.  It  is  true 
that  with  this  force  and  that  which  you  can  bring  he  could  not 
hope  to  capture  the  Bairds'  hold,  but  together  you  could  carry 
sword  and  fire  through  his  district  before  he  could  gather  a 
force  to  meet  you  in  the  field." 

"  I  fear  that  would  not  do,  Oswald  ;  William  Baird  would 
be  capable  of  hanging  the  girls  from  the  battlements  when 
the  first  fire  was  lit." 

Oswald  was  silent.  From  the  tales  he  had  heard  of  the 
ferocity  of  these  dreaded  marauders,  he  felt  that  it  was  more 
than  probable  that  his  uncle  was  right. 


196  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  he  said  after  a  pause,  "  that  it  were  best 
for  you  to  send  two  men  to  Parton,  which  is,  as  I  have  heard, 
though  I  have  never  been  there,  ten  miles  south  of  the  Bairds'. 
Let  them  give  the  name  of  Johnstone,  and  at  the  tavern  where 
they  put  up  say  they  expect  a  relative  of  the  same  name.  As 
soon  as  I  can  find  out  how  the  affair  had  best  be  managed, 
I  will  give  them  instructions  as  to  the  plans  I  propose  ;  one 
will  carry  them  to  you  and  the  other  to  my  father.  Will  Parton 
be  a  good  place  for  you  to  join  forces?  " 

"  As  well  as  any  other,  Oswald.  Your  plan  seems  to  me  a 
good  one,  at  any  rate  I  can  think  of  nothing  better,  my  brain 
is  deadened  by  this  terrible  misfortune.  Had  I  my  own  will 
I  would  ride  straight  to  the  Bairds'  hold  and  challenge  him 
and  his  brothers  and  sons  to  meet  me  one  after  another  in  fair 
combat,  and  should  be  well  contented  if  I  could  slay  one  or 
two  of  them  before  being  myself  killed." 

"  I  can  quite  understand  that,  uncle  ;  but  your  death  would 
be  in  no  way  an  advantage  to  the  girls,  nay,  would  rather 
render  them  more  helpless,  therefore  I  pray  you  to  let  me 
carry  things  out  as  I  have  planned." 

His  uncle  nodded.  "  I  shall  send  out  a  dozen  runners  to  my 
friends,"  he  said,  "  and  beg  them  to  be  here  to-morrow  morn- 
ing early.  Then,  when  I  have  talked  matters  over  with 
them,  I  shall  ride  to  Roxburgh  and  lay  the  matter  before  the 
governor.  1  know  that  I  shall  get  no  help  from  him,  but  at 
least  when  he  hears  of  a  gathering  here,  he  will  know  that  't  is 
with  no  evil  intention  against  the  English." 

Ten  minutes  later  Oswald's  messenger  started  for  Yardhope 
with  a  full  account  of  the  step  he  was  taking,  and  of  the 
arrangements  that  had  been  made.  This  done  he  had  a  long 
talk  with  Roger. 

"  Now,  Roger,"  he  said,  "  this  will  be  the  most  dangerous 
business  in  which  we  have  been  concerned,  and  I  should  not 


A   DANGEROUS   MISSION  197 

venture  to  undertake  it  did  I  not  know  that  I  could  rely 
absolutely  upon  you." 

"  I  will  do  my  best,  master,  and  will  adventure  my  life  all 
the  more  willingly  since  it  is  in  the  service  of  Allan  and  Janet 
Armstrong.  They  were  always  pleasant  and  friendly  with  me 
at  Yardhope,  and  I  like  them  for  themselves  as  well  as  be- 
cause they  are  your  cousins.  Now,  master,  what  is  to  be 
done?" 

"  Have  you  your  gown  with  you,  Roger  !  " 

"  No,  master.  I  know  you  always  told  me  to  take  it  with 
me,  thinking  that  it  might  come  in  useful,  and  I  carried  it 
under  my  saddle  all  the  time  we  were  in  Wales ;  but,  seeing 
that  this  was  but  a  ride  to  Jedburgh  and  back,  I  thought  that 
there  would  be  no  occasion  for  it." 

"  That  is  unfortunate,  Roger,  for  it  is  upon  this  that  we 
must  depend  to  get  an  entry  into  the  Bairds'  hold." 

"  Well,  master,  I  can  doubtless  get  some  rough  cloth  of  the 
colour  at  Jedburgh;  and  indeed  there  is  a  small  monastery 
about  three  miles  hence  on  the  road,  and  it  may  be  that  if 
Adam  Armstrong  will  go  with  us  and  say  wherefore  it  is 
wanted,  the  prior  will  let  him  have  one." 

"  I  will  see  him  at  once,  no  time  must  be  lost.  While  he  is 
away  you  must  shave  your  head  again." 

Roger's  face  fell.  "  'T  is  hard,  master,  after  it  has  grown  so 
well  to  match  the  rest ;  still,  for  so  good  a  purpose  I  must  even 
give  in." 

On  hearing  what  was  wanted  Armstrong  mounted  and  rode 
off  at  once,  and  while  he  was  away  one  of  the  villagers  shaved 
the  top  of  Roger's  head  again.  In  an  hour  Armstrong  brought 
back  a  monk's  gown. 

"  He  was  loath  to  let  me  have  it  even  for  such  a  purpose, 
though  I  told  him  that  you  were  once  a  monk  of  the  order. 
Finally  he  said  that  his  conscience  would  not  allow  him  to  lend 


198  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

it,  but  that  he  would  sell  it  to  me  for  six  pennies,  which  I 
gladly  gave  him." 

"  It  is  dark  now,"  Oswald  said,  "  and  I  know  not  the  road. 
Can  you  give  me  some  man  to  put  me  on  the  way?  We  will 
not  make  straight  for  the  Bairds',  but  will  strike  the  road  from 
Glasgow  some  ten  or  twelve  miles  north  of  his  place,  so  that 
we  can  come  down  from  that  direction ;  then  our  guide,  after 
taking  us  on  to  the  road,  had  best  take  charge  of  the  horses 
and  lead  them  to  Parton,  there  to  remain  with  them  until 
your  messenger  and  the  one  from  Yardhope  arrive.  It  would 
be  as  well  to  have  the  horses  there,  for  we  cannot  know  what 
need  we  may  have  of  them." 

"That  I  will  arrange  at  once,  Oswald;  is  there  aught 
else?" 

"  Yes,  uncle,  I  must  leave  my  armour  and  clothes  here,  and 
borrow  others  that  will  pass  as  a  disguise." 

"  How  would  you  go,  Oswald?  " 

"  In  truth  it  is  a  difficult  matter.  That  of  a  minstrel  would 
be  the  best  passport,  but  I  know  nought  of  harp  or  other 
instrument.  I  might  go  as  a  vender  of  philters  and  charms, 
a  sort  of  half-witted  chap,  whose  mother  concocted  such 
things." 

"They  would  never  let  you  into  the  Bairds'  castle,  Oswald." 

"  Then  I  must  be  a  rough  man-at-arms,  one  who  had  been 
in  the  service  of  the  Earl  of  March,  and  who,  when  he  turned 
traitor  and  went  over  to  the  English,  found  himself  without 
employment,  and  asked  nothing  better  than  to  enter  the  ser- 
vice of  someone  who  will  give  him  bread  and  meat  in  return 
for  any  services  that  he  can  render,  whether  in  hunting  up  any 
cattle  among  the  hills  or  striking  a  shrewd  blow  in  the  service 
of  his  employer  if  needs  be." 

"  That  must  do  if  we  can  think  of  nothing  better,  Oswald. 
I  will  speedily  bring  you  the  things  you  require,  as  they  will 


A   DANGEROUS   MISSION  199 

be  found  in  every  house  in  the  village,  and  some,  alas  !  will  be 
needed  no  more  by  those  who  wore  them." 

"They  must  be  of  good  size,  uncle." 

"Ay,  ay,  lad.  There  must  have  been  some  tall  fellows 
among  those  they  slew  to-day." 

Half  an  hour  later  Roger  and  Oswald  mounted.  His  uncle 
sent  two  of  his  men  with  them,  saying  that  it  would  look 
strange  were  one  man  to  come  with  two  horses  to  Parton,  but 
that  two,  saying  that  their  masters  would  follow,  would  seem  a 
more  probable  tale. 

"  They  will,  if  they  can,  find  some  quiet  farmhouse  a  mile 
out  of  the  village,  and  there  get  lodgings  for  themselves  and 
beasts.  You  can  arrange  with  them  to  take  up  their  station 
on  the  road,  so  that  you  can,  if  needs  be,  find  them." 

It  was  with  a  sigh  that  Roger  flung  himself  into  the  saddle. 
It  was  not  the  horse  on  which  he  had  ridden  there,  but  a 
strong  shaggy  pony. 

"  He  does  not  look  much,"  one  of  the  men  said,  "  but  there 
is  no  better  horse  of  the  sort  in  the  country ;  he  has  both 
speed  and  bottom,  and  can  carry  you  up  or  down  hill,  and  is 
as  sure-footed  as  a  goat." 

Roger  had  assented  to  the  change,  for  his  own  horse  was  as 
unlike  one  that  a  monk  would  have  bestrode  as  could  be  well 
imagined.  He  had  obtained  a  stout  staff,  to  which  the  village 
smith  had  added  two  or  three  iron  rings  at  each  end,  render- 
ing it  a  formidable  weapon  indeed  in  such  hands. 

"  It  reminds  me  of  our  start  for  Dunbar,  master,"  he  said. 
"  One  might  have  a  worse  weapon  than  this ;  "  and  he  swung 
it  round  his  head  in  quarter-staff  fashion ;  "  still  I  prefer  a 
mace." 

"  That  staff  will  do  just  as  well,  Roger.  A  man  would  need 
a  hard  skull  indeed  to  require  more  than  one  blow  from  such 
a  weapon." 


200  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

Now  that  Adam  Armstrong  had  done  all  that  there  was  to 
do,  he  went  again  to  the  cottage  where  Allan  lay.  He  had 
paid  several  visits  there  in  the  afternoon,  but  there  was  nought 
for  him  to  do,  and  no  comfort  to  be  gained  from  the  white  face 
of  the  insensible  lad.  Meg  assured  him,  however,  that  he  was 
going  on  as  well  as  could  be  expected. 

"  He  is  in  a  torpor  at  present,"  she  said,  "and  may  so  lie 
for  two  or  three  days ;  but  so  long  as  there  is  no  fever  he  will, 
I  hope,  know  you  when  he  opens  his  eyes.  There  is  nought 
to  do  but  to  keep  wet  cloths  round  his  head,  and  to  put  on  a 
fresh  poultice  over  the  wound  every  hour." 

Now  Armstrong  took  his  place  by  his  son's  pallet.  For  a 
time  the  work  of  making  preparations  for  Oswald's  departure, 
and  of  sending  off  messages  to  his  friends,  had  prevented  his 
thoughts  from  dwelling  upon  his  loss.  Throughout  the  night 
the  picture  of  his  home  as  he  had  left  it  when  he  rode  out 
that  morning,  and  the  thought  that  it  was  now  an  empty 
shell,  his  wife  dead,  his  daughters  carried  off,  and  his  son  lying 
between  life  and  death,  came  to  him  with  full  force  and  well- 
nigh  broke  him  down.  In  the  meantime  the  little  party  were 
making  across  the  hills,  and  before  morning  they  came  upon 
the  northern  road  fifteen  miles  from  the  Bairds'  hold.  Here 
Oswald  and  Roger  dismounted.  It  was  arranged  that  the  men 
should  return  with  the  horses  into  the  hills  and  should  there 
rest  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  mount  and  ride  for 
Parton.  One  or  other  of  them  was  to  come  down  at  seven 
o'clock  each  evening  to  the  road  half  a  mile  from  the  village, 
and  was  there  to  watch  till  nine.  If  no  one  came  along  they 
were  then  to  return  to  their  lodging. 

"  I  feel  stiff  in  the  legs,  master,"  Roger  said ;  "  a  fifty-mile 
ride  up  and  down  the  hills  is  no  joke  after  a  hard  day's  work." 

"  They  will  soon  come  right  again,  Roger ;  I  feel  stiff  myself, 
though  pretty  well  accustomed  to  horse  exercise.     However, 


ARMSTRONG     rOOK    III—    I'LACl      KY    III-    SUN'S    PALLET, 


A   DANGEROUS   MISSION  201 

when  we  present  ourselves  at  the  hold  dusty  and  footsore  we 
shall  look  our  characters  thoroughly."  Neither  were  sorry 
when  they  arrived  at  a  small  village  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  Bairds'  hold.  They  went  in  together  to  the  little  ale-house 
and  vigorously  attacked  the  rough  fare  set  before  them. 

"Hast  thou  travelled  far?"  their  host  asked  as  he  watched 
them  eating. 

•'Indifferently  far,"  the  monk  said:  "'tis  five-and-twenty 
miles  hence  to  Moffat,  and  it  would  have  seemed  farther  to 
me  had  not  this  good  fellow  overtaken  me  and  fell  in  with  my 
pace.  He  is  good  company,  though  monkish  gowns  have  but 
little  in  common  with  steel-pot  and  broadsword;  but  his  talk 
and  his  songs  lightened  the  way." 

"  Whither  are  you  going,  father?  " 

"  I  am  making  my  way  to  Carlisle,"  he  said.  "  I  have  a 
brother  who  is  prior  in  a  small  monastery  there,  and  it  is  long 
since  I  have  seen  him.  Who  lives  at  the  stronghold  I  saw  on 
the  hills  but  a  short  distance  away?  " 

"  It  is  the  hold  of  William  Baird,  the  head  of  that  family,  of 
whom  doubtless  you  may  have  heard." 

"  I  have  heard  his  name  as  that  of  a  noted  raider  across  the 
border,"  the  monk  said,  "  a  fierce  man  and  a  bold  one.  Has 
he  regard  for  the  Church?  if  so,  I  would  gladly  take  up  my 
abode  there  for  a  day  or  two,  for  in  truth  I  am  wearied  out, 
it  being  some  years  since  my  feet  have  carried  me  so  long  a 
journey." 

"As  to  that  I  say  nothing,"  the  host  said.  "It  would 
depend  on  his  humour  whether  he  took  you  in  or  shut  the 
gates  in  your  face  without  ceremony ;  but  methinks  at  present 
the  latter  were  more  likely  than  the  former,  for  his  hold  is  full 
of  armed  men,  and  I  should  say  it  were  wisest  to  leave  him 
alone,  even  if  you  had  but  the  bare  moor  tc  sleep  upon." 

"  Nevertheless  I  can  but  try,"  the  monk  said ;   "  he  may 


202  LOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

be  in  one  of  those  good  tempers  you  spoke  of.    And  I  suppose 
he  has  also  a  priest  in  his  fortalice  ?  " 

"  Ay,  the  Bairds  are  not  — ;  but  I  would  rather  not  talk  of 
them.  They  are  near  neighbours,  and  among  my  very  best 
customers."  As  he  spoke  four  armed  men  came  in  at  the 
door. 

"  Good-day,  Wilson  !  whom  have  you  here?  An  ill-assorted 
couple  surely,  a  monk,  though  a  somewhat  rough  one,  and  a 
man-at-arms." 

"  Fellow-travellers  of  a  day,"  Roger  said  calmly.  "  We  met 
on  the  road,  and  as  I  love  not  solitude,  having  enough  and  to 
spare  of  it,  I  accosted  him.  He  turned  out  a  good  com- 
panion." 

"  You  are  a  man  of  sinew  yourself,  monk,  and  methinks  that 
you  would  have  made  a  better  soldier  than  a  shaveling." 

"  I  thought  so  sometime,  myself,"  the  monk  said ;  "  but  my 
parents  thought  otherwise,  and  it  is  too  late  to  take  up  another 
vocation  now." 

"  Is  that  staff  yours  ? "  the  soldier  asked,  taking  it  up  and 
handling  it. 

"Yes,  my  son.  In  these  days  even  a  quiet  religious  man 
like  myself  may  meet  with  rough  fellows  by  the  way,  and  while 
that  staff  gives  support  to  my  feet,  it  is  an  aid  to  command 
decent  behaviour  from  those  I  fall  in  with.  I  have  not  much 
to  lose,  having  with  me  but  sufficient  to  buy  me  victuals  for 
my  journey  to  Carlisle,  where,  as  I  have  just  told  our  host, 
I  am  journeying  to  see  a  brother,  who  is  prior  at  a  convent 
there." 

"This  fellow  —  where  did  you  fall  in  with  him?  " 

"  He  overtook  me  some  twenty  miles  north  on  the  road  to 
Glasgow." 

"  And  are  you  travelling  to  Carlisle  too?"  the  man  said  to 
Oswald. 


A   DANGEROUS   MISSION  203 

"  Nay,"  he  said,  "  I  purpose  not  going  beyond  the  border. 
I  have  lost  my  employment,  and  have  tried  in  vain  to  find 
another  as  much  to  my  liking.  I  have  come  south  to  seek 
service  with  one  who  will  welcome  a  strong  arm  to  wield  a 
sword." 

"  Hast  tried  the  Douglas?  " 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  the  Douglas  has  men  enough  of  his  own, 
and  methinks  I  should  not  care  to  be  mewed  up  in  one  of  his 
castles.  I  have  had  enough  of  that  already,  seeing  that  I  was 
a  man-at-arms  with  George  Dunbar  till  he  turned  traitor  and 
went  over  to  the  English." 

"  You  look  a  likely  fellow ;  but,  you  know,  we  do  not  pay 
men  here  to  do  our  fighting  for  us.  'T  is  all  very  well  for 
great  nobles  like  Dunbar  and  Douglas  to  keep  men  always  in 
arms,  and  ready  to  ride  at  a  moment's  notice  to  carry  fire  and 
sword  where  they  will.  War  is  not  our  business,  save  when 
there  is  trouble  in  the  air,  or  mayhap  we  run  short  of  cattle  or 
horses,  and  have  to  go  and  fetch  them  from  across  the  border. 
It  is  true  that  there  are  always  a  score  or  two  of  us  up  there, 
for  somehow  the  Bairds  have  enemies,  but  most  of  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  house  live  on  their  holdings,  raise  cattle  and 
mountain  sheep,  grow  oats,  and  live  as  best  they  can." 

"  For  myself,  I  would  rather  live  with  others,"  Oswald  said. 
"  I  am  used  to  it,  and  to  live  in  a  hut  on  the  moors  would  in 
no  way  be  to  my  fancy ;  and  if  I  cannot  get  a  place  where  I 
have  comrades  to  talk  to  and  crack  a  joke  with,  I  would  rather 
cross  the  seas,  take  service  with  an  Irish  chieftain,  or  travel  to 
Wales,  where  I  hear  men  say  there  is  fighting." 

"  You  need  not  go  very  far  if  it  is  fighting  that  you  want," 
the  man  said.  "  Those  who  ride  with  the  Bairds  have  their 
share  and  more  of  it.  If  you  like  to  stop  here  a  day  or  two  I 
will  take  an  opportunity  to  talk  to  William  Baird,  or  to  one  of 
his  sons,  if  I  find  a  chance ;   but  I  cannot  take  you  up  there 


204  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

now.  At  the  best  of  times  they  are  not  fond  of  visitors,  and 
would  be  less  so  than  usual  now." 

Other  armed  men  had  come  in  while  the  conversation  was 
going  on.  No  further  attention  was  paid  to  the  travellers. 
The  others,  sitting  down  at  a  table  across  the  room,  talked 
among  themselves. 

"  I  care  not  for  the  work,"  one  said  presently,  raising  his 
voice  to  a  higher  pitch  than  that  in  which  the  others  had 
spoken.  "  xA.cross  the  border  I  am  as  ready  for  work  as 
another,  but  when  it  comes  to  Scot  against  Scot  I  like  it 
not." 

"  Why,  man,"  another  said,  "  what  qualms  are  these  ?  Is  n't 
Scot  always  fighting  against  Scot,  ay,  and  has  been  so  as  far 
back  as  one  has  ever  heard.  It  does  not  take  much  for  a 
Douglas  or  a  Dunbar  to  get  to  loggerheads ;  and  as  to  the 
wild  clans  of  the  north,  they  are  always  fighting  among 
themselves." 

"  Yes,  that  is  all  very  well,"  the  other  said,  "  and  there  is 
no  reason  why  neighbours  should  not  quarrel  here ;  but  I 
would  rather  that  they  each  summoned  their  friends,  and  met 
in  fair  fight  and  had  it  out,  than  that  one  should  pounce  upon 
the  other  when  not  expected,  and  slay  and  burn  unopposed." 

"  Ay,  ay,"  two  or  three  others  of  the  men  agreed,  "  it  were 
doubtless  better  so,  when  it  is  Scot  against  Scot." 

"  'T  is  border  fashion,"  another  put  in.  "  There  is  no  law  on 
the  border,  and  we  fight  in  our  own  fashion.  To-day  it  is  our 
turn,  to-morrow  it  may  be  someone  else's.  We  follow  our 
chiefs,  just  as  the  northern  clansmen  do  ;  and  whether  it  is  a 
Musgrave  or  a  Baird,  a  Fenwick  or  an  Armstrong,  he  is  chief 
in  his  own  hold,  and  cares  neither  for  king  nor  earl,  but  fights 
out  his  quarrel  as  it  may  please  him.  I  am  one  of  William 
Baird's  men,  and  his  quarrel  is  mine  ;  and  whether  we  ride 
against  the  King  of  Scotland  or  the  King  of  England,  against 


A   DANGEROUS   MISSION  205 

a  Douglas  or  a  Percy,  an  Armstrong  or  a  Musgrave,  it  matters 
not  the  value  of  a  stoup  of  ale." 

"That  is  so,  Nigel,  and  so  say  we  all.  But  methinks  that 
one  may  have  a  preference  for  one  sort  of  fighting  over 
another,  and  I  myself  would  rather  fight  a  matter  out  man 
against  man  than  fall  suddenly  on  a  hold  where  none  are 
ready  to  encounter  us." 

Roger,  during  a  pause  in  the  conversation  at  the  other  table, 
got  up  from  his  seat  and  stretched  himself. 

"  Well,  friend,"  he  said  to  Oswald,  "  I  will  go  up  and  see  if 
they  will  make  me  welcome  at  the  hold.  If  they  do,  I  may 
see  you  no  more  ;  if  not,  I  shall  return  here  to  sleep.  There- 
fore I  bid  you  good -day,  and  hope  that  you  may  find  such 
service  as  will  suit  you.  Benedicite  !  "  And,  paying  for  his 
refreshment,  Roger  took  his  staff  from  the  corner  and  went  out. 

"  A  hearty  fellow  and  a  stalwart  one,"  the  man  who  had 
spoken  to  him  said.  "  I  should  not  care  to  have  a  crack  over 
the  crown  with  that  staff  of  his.  You  met  him  coming  down 
from  the  north,  comrade?" 

"  Yes,  some  twenty  miles  away.  It  was  near  Moffat  that  I 
overtook  him.  I  would  rather  drink  with  him  than  fight  with 
him.     Seldom  have  I  seen  a  stronger-looking  man." 

"  I  am  of  your  opinion,  comrade  ;  and  some  of  these  monks 
are  not  bad  fighters  either.  There  have  been  bishops  who 
have  led  the  monks  to  battle  before  now,  and  they  proved 
themselves  stout  men-at-arms." 

After  the  others  had  gone  out  Oswald  strolled  through  the 
village,  and  then  mounted  an  eminence  whence  he  could  take 
a  view  across  the  valley  and  of  some  of  the  hill-tops  to  the 
north-east.  On  one  of  these,  two  miles  away,  he  could  make 
out  a  man  standing  by  a  horse.  He  watched  him  for  some 
little  time,  but  beyond  taking  a  few  steps  backwards  and  for- 
wards the  man  did  not  move. 


206  DOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  He  is  a  look-out,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  and  is  no  doubt 
watching  some  road  from  Kelso  and  Jedburgh.  Baird  will 
hardly  think  that  the  Armstrongs  can  have  so  soon  gathered 
a  force  sufficient  to  attack  him,  but  he  may  have  thought  it  as 
well  to  place  one  of  his  men  on  the  watch.  I  wonder  how 
Roger  is  getting  on  !  I  think  they  must  have  taken  him  in,  or 
he  would  have  been  back  before  this." 

Roger  had  walked  quietly  up  the  hill  on  which  the  Bairds' 
hold  was  perched.  A  man  stepped  forward  from  the  gate  as 
he  neared  it. 

"  None  enter  here,"  he  said,  "  without  permission  from  the 
master." 

"  Will  you  tell  him  that  a  poor  monk  of  the  order  of  St. 
Benedict,  on  his  way  from  his  convent  at  Dunbar  to  one  near 
Carlisle,  of  which  his  brother  is  prior,  prays  hospitality  for  a 
day  or  two,  seeing  that  he  is  worn  out  by  long  travel." 

The  sentry  spoke  to  a  man  behind  him,  and  the  latter  took 
the  message  to  William  Baird.  The  latter  was  in  a  good 
humour.  He  himself  had  not  taken  part  in  the  raid  on  the 
Armstrongs,  which  had  been  led  by  Thomas  Baird,  a  cousin, 
but  the  fact  that  the  latter  had  been  entirely  successful,  and 
had  burned  down  Armstrong's  house  and  brought  back  his 
daughters,  had  given  him  the  greatest  satisfaction.  There 
was  a  long-standing  feud  between  the  two  families,  and  the 
fact  that  the  Armstrongs  were  on  good  terms  with  their  English 
neighbours,  and  still  more  that  one  of  them  had  married  the 
sister-in-law  of  a  Forster  of  Yardhope,  had  greatly  embittered 
the  feeling  on  his  side.  He  had  long  meditated  striking  a 
blow  at  them,  and  the  present  time  had  been  exceptionally 
favourable. 

Douglas  had  his  hands  full.  He  was  on  ill  terms  with 
Rothesay,  whose  conduct  to  his  daughter  had  deeply  offended 
him.     The  newly-acquired  land  of  the  Earl  of  March  gave 


A   DANGEROUS    MISSION  207 

much  trouble.  He  was  jealous  of  the  great  influence  of 
Albany  at  court,  and  was  moreover  making  preparations  for 
a  serious  raid  into  England.  It  was  not  likely,  then,  that  he 
would  pay  any  attention  to  the  complaints  the  Armstrongs 
might  make  of  any  attack  upon  them,  especially  as  their  aid 
was  of  small  use  to  him,  while  the  Bairds  could  at  any  moment 
join  him  in  an  invasion  across  the  border  with  three  hundred 
good  fighting  men. 

William  Baird  had  not  as  yet  even  considered  what  he 
should  do  with  his  captives.  He  might  give  them  in  mar- 
riage to  some  of  the  younger  men  of  his  family,  or  he  might 
hold  them  as  hostages.  As  to  injuring  them  personally,  he 
did  not  think  of  it.  Slaughter  in  a  raid  was  lightly  regarded, 
but  to  ill-treat  female  prisoners  would  arouse  a  general  feeling 
of  dissatisfaction  along  the  border.  Reprisals  might  be  made 
by  the  Armstrongs  and  their  friends,  and  in  any  case  there 
would  be  such  wide-spread  reprobation  excited,  as  William  Baird, 
reckless  as  he  was,  could  hardly  afford  to  despise.  Therefore 
when  Roger's  request  was  brought  to  him  he  said  at  once  : 

"  Take  him  up  to  Father  Kenelm ;  tell  him  to  look  after  the 
monk's  comfort.  This  evening  he  can  bring  him  down  to  the 
hall,  and  I  will  question  him  as  to  his  journey." 

Roger  followed  the  man  through  the  court-yard.  He  paid 
apparently  no  attention  to  what  was  going  on  there,  but  a 
quick  glance  enabled  him  to  perceive  that  the  hold  was  full  of 
men.  He  followed  his  guide  up  a  winding  stair  to  a  turret  on 
the  wall,  the  lower  story  of  which  was  inhabited  by  the  priest. 
The  soldier  knocked  at  the  door,  and  on  its  being  opened  by 
the  priest,  he  gave  Baird's  message  to  him.  He  was  a  tall 
man,  spare  and  bony.  He  himself  was  a  Baird,  and  report 
said  that  in  his  youth  he  had  ridden  on  many  a  foray  in  Eng- 
land. But  fighting  men  were  common  in  the  family,  and  it 
had  been  thought  well  that  one  should  enter  the  church,  as  it 


208  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

was  always  good  to  have  a  friend  who  could  represent  them 
there,  and,  should  any  complaint  be  made,  explain  matters, 
and  show  that  the  family  were  in  no  wise  to  blame.  And, 
moreover,  as  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  priest  at  the  chief 
fortalice  of  the  family,  it  was  best  that  it  should  be  one  who 
would  not  be  too  strict  in  his  penances,  and  could  be  con- 
veniently silent  as  to  the  doings  within  its  walls. 

The  priest  had  accepted  the  role  not  unwillingly.  He  was 
an  ambitious  man,  and  saw  that  as  one  of  the  fighting  Bairds 
there  was  but  small  opportunity  of  rising  to  aught  beyond  the 
command  of  one  of  the  holds.  Douglas  regarded  them  with 
no  friendly  eye,  for  their  breaches  of  the  truces  brought  upon 
him  constant  complaints  from  the  English  wardens,  who  might 
some  day  or  other  lead  a  force  to  punish  the  family,  which 
had  been  one  of  the  few  exempted  from  the  general  pardon  at 
the  last  truce.  As  a  priest  he  would  have  better  opportuni- 
ties, for  the  Bairds  had  much  influence  along  the  border,  and 
might  some  day  or  other  exert  it  in  his  favour.  So  far  no  such 
opportunity  had  occurred.  It  had  been  a  disappointment  to 
him  that  Henry  in  his  last  invasion  had  kept  along  the  eastern 
coast,  and  he  hoped  that  the  war,  which  assuredly  would  ere 
long  break  out  violently,  would  give  him  the  chance  he  longed 
for,  and  he  might  be  sent  by  his  uncle  to  Douglas  with  offers 
of  service,  or  might  even  go  north  and  have  an  interview  with 
Albany.  Once  fairly  away  from  Liddesdale,  he  was  resolved 
that  it  would  be  a  long  time  indeed  before  he  returned.  He 
was  now  some  thirty  years  of  age,  with  a  hard,  keen  face. 

"  Well,  brother,"  he  said,  "  it  is  not  often  that  any  of  your 
order  sojourn  here.  I  am  glad  to  have  one  with  whom  I  can 
converse  of  other  matters  than  arms  and  armour,  forays  and 
wars." 

"  These  matters  are  indeed  too  much  in  men's  mouths," 
Roger  said,  "though  I  own  that  I  myself  in  some  degree  am 


A   DANGEROUS    MISSION  209 

interested  in  them,  for  had  I  had  the  choice  of  a  vocation  I 
would  rather  have  been  a  man-at-arms  than  a  monk." 

"  I  wonder  not  at  that,"  the  other  said,  "  seeing  that  nature 
has  been  bountiful  to  you  in  the  matter  of  height  and  strength, 
and  I  doubt  not  that  you  could  in  case  of  need  use  that  staff 
you  carry  with  good  effect." 

"  Methinks  that  I  might  do  so,  but  happily  none  have 
molested  me  on  my  way,  seeing  perhaps  that  my  wallet  was 
not  likely  to  be  a  full  one,  and  that  mayhap  it  was  hardly 
worth  while  to  meddle  with  me  with  so  small  a  prospect  of 
plunder." 

"  But  come  in  and  sit  down,"  the  priest  said  ;  "  my  uncle 
has  consigned  you  to  my  care.  We  shall  sup  in  half  an 
hour." 

"  I  shall  not  be  sorry,"  Roger  replied,  "  for  though  I  broke 
my  fast  on  black  bread  and  small  beer  down  in  the  village,  't  is 
but  poor  nourishment  for  a  man  who  has  travelled  far,  and  who 
has  a  large  frame  to  support." 

"  But  how  come  you  to  be  here  ?  " 

Roger  again  repeated  his  story. 

"  It  would  have  been  shorter  for  you  to  have  travelled  down 
through  Berwick,  brother." 

"  The  difference  was  not  great,"  Roger  replied  ;  "  and  I  had 
to  carry  a  message  to  Edinburgh,  and  from  there  it  was  shorter 
to  keep  west  of  the  Pentlands,  and  come  down  to  Lanark,  and 
thence  through  Moffat." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  it  is  as  short.  And  you  had  no  trouble  on 
your  way?  " 

Roger  shook  his  head.  "No;  I  generally  join  some  traveller 
or  other,  and  that  makes  the  journey  pass  all  the  quicker.  I 
came  down  here  to-day  with  a  stout  young  fellow,  who  over- 
took me  this  side  of  Moffat.  He  was  somewhat  out  at  elbow, 
and  I  looked  askance  at  him  at  first,  but  he  turned  out  a  blithe 

H 


210  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

companion,  and  we  got  on  well  together.  He  could  troll  a 
good  song,  and  my  own  voice  is  not  wanting  in  power.  It  was 
curious  that  he  also  was  from  Dunbar,  though  not  immediately, 
having,  it  would  seem,  wandered  for  some  time  on  the  look-out 
for  service." 

"What  was  he,  a  cattle  drover?  " 

"  No,  he  had  been  a  man-at-arms  of  George  of  Dunbar  —  at 
least,  so  I  understood  —  and  when  the  earl  fled  and  Douglas 
took  possession  of  Dunbar,  he  lost  his  living.  He  told  me 
that  he  had  made  his  way  down  here  in  hopes  of  finding  em- 
ployment on  the  border,  where  blows  were  common  and  a 
good  blade  was  of  more  use  than  it  was  farther  north.  I  said 
that  he  might  have  found  employment  under  Albany,  or  under 
some  other  great  lord,  but  he  said  that  he  had  seen  the  Earl 
of  March  a  fugitive,  and  that  he  cared  not  to  enter  the  service 
of  another  noble,  who  might  in  turn  be  ousted  from  his  place 
and  lose  his  life ;  but  as  for  Albany,  he  thought  from  what  he 
heard  that  he  would  rather  serve  him  than  any  other  master. 
I  said,  '  Why  not  Rothesay,  who  would  be  King  of  Scotland  ?  ' 
He  laughed  lightly,  and  said  as  Rothesay  had  managed  to  get 
upon  ill  friendship,  not  only  with  the  Earl  of  March  but 
with  Douglas,  and,  as  he  heard,  with  Albany,  he  thought  that 
his  chances  of  becoming  King  of  Scotland  were  not  worth 
considering." 

"  He  must  be  a  bold  varlet  thus  to  speak  irreverently  of 
great  ones." 

"  I  think  not  that  he  was  bold,"  Roger  said,  "but  only  a 
merry  thoughtless  young  fellow,  who  in  such  company  as  mine 
let  his  tongue  loose,  and  said  what  first  came  into  his  head. 
As  to  the  matter,  methought  he  spoke  not  without  warrant." 

"  And  he  came  from  the  north  now?  " 

"  T  know  not  whence  he  came  last,  but  I  think  that  he  was  at 
Edinburgh,  and  had  taken  service  there  when  the  English  king 


A   DANGEROUS    MISSION  211 

sat  down  before  it;  but,  as  you  know,  nought  came  of  the 
siege." 

At  this  moment  a  horn  blew.  "  There  is  supper,"  the  priest 
said.     "  We  will  go  down." 

The  meal  was  laid  in  the  hall,  which,  however,  was  not  large 
enough  to  contain  more  than  the  ordinary  retainers  of  the 
hold.  These  and  the  men  who  had  come  in  at  the  summons 
of  Baird  were  provided  for  in  the  court-yard,  the  table  being 
occupied  entirely  by  members  of  the  Baird  family  and  others 
who  always  acted  with  them.  These  had  not  yet  taken  their 
seats  when  the  priest  entered  with  his  companion,  whom  he  at 
once  took  up  to  Sir  William  Baird. 

"  By  St.  Andrew  !  monk,  I  have  seen  no  finer  figure  for 
many  a  day.  A  pity  that  a  monk's  gown  should  clothe  such 
limbs  as  yours." 

"That  has  always  been  mine  own  opinion,"  Roger  said  with 
a  heartiness  that  raised  a  smile  on  the  hard  faces  of  the  men 
standing  round. 

"  You  look  as  if  you  had  carried  arms." 

"I  did  so  in  my  wild  youth,"  Roger  said,  "and  had  no 
thought  of  ever  donning  monk's  hood,  but  I  was  grievously 
wounded  in  a  foray  in  Northumberland,  and  when  I  reached 
my  home  at  Lauder  I  well-nigh  died  of  the  fever  of  the  wound, 
and  I  swore  that  if  my  life  was  saved  I  would  become  a  monk. 
I  got  well,  and  I  kept  my  vow ;  but  methinks  had  I  but  known 
how  dull  the  life  was,  I  would  rather  have  died  of  the  fever." 

As  this  story  was  perfectly  true,  save  the  name  of  his  birth- 
place, Roger  spoke  so  heartily  that  no  one  doubted  his  story. 

"And  your  monastery  is  at  Dunbar?  You  have  been  at 
Dunbar,   Rotherglen,  ask  him  where  the  convent  stood." 

As  Roger  had  stayed  there  when  with  Oswald  he  was  at 
Dunbar  he  was  able  to  answer  this  and  other  questions  satis- 
factorily.    The  party  then  took  their  places  at  table,  the  priest 


212  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

and  Roger  sitting  at  the  bottom  of  it.  The  conversation  at 
the  upper  end  naturally  turned  on  the  foray,  and  a  general 
disbelief  was  expressed  as  to  the  chance  of  the  Armstrongs 
retaliating. 

"'Tis  out  of  the  question,"  one  of  the  Bairds  said,  "they 
could  not  raise  fifty  men.  Doubtless  they  will  send  a  com- 
plaint to  Douglas,  but  he  has  his  hands  well  full,  and  is  not 
likely  to  quarrel  with  us  about  such  a  trifle,  when  he  may  want 
our  aid  at  any  moment  either  against  Albany  or  against  the 
English." 

"What  do  you  intend  to  do  with  the  girls?" 

"  I  have  not  settled  yet,"  William  Baird  said  shortly.  "  At 
any  rate  for  the  present  I  shall  hold  them  as  hostages.  I  don't 
think  that  anything  is  likely  to  come  of  the  affair;  but  if  we 
should  hear  of  any  force  approaching  likely  to  give  us  trouble 
we  could  send  word  to  them  that  if  an  arrow  is  loosened  at  our 
walls  we  will  hang  the  girls  out  as  marks  for  their  archers.  I 
fancy  that  will  send  them  trooping  off  again  at  once." 

As  soon  as  the  meal  was  over  and  the  carousal  began  the 
priest  rose,  and  accompanied  by  Roger  retired  to  his  chamber. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ESCAPE 

OSWALD,  who  was  thoroughly  fatigued  with  the  events  of 
the  last  thirty-six  hours,  slept  soundly  on  an  armful  of 
rushes  that  his  host  threw  down  in  a  corner  of  the  room  for 
him.  At  eight  o'clock  the  man  who  had  spoken  to  him  on  the 
previous  evening  came  in. 


ESCAPE  213 

"  I  have  spoken  to  William  Baird,"  he  said.  "I  told  him 
that  you  seemed  a  likely  fellow.  He  called  down  the  monk 
and  asked  him  several  questions  about  you,  and  he  told  me  at 
last  that  I  could  bring  you  up  to  see  him.  So  come  along  at 
once." 

"  Thanks,  comrade,"  Oswald  said,  as  he  slung  his  long  two- 
handed  sword  from  his  shoulder. 

"  A  likely-looking  young  fellow  indeed,"  Baird  said  to 
Rotherglen,  whom  he  had  sent  for  to  be  present ;  "  over  six 
feet,  and  I  should  fancy  has  not  attained  his  full  width.  So 
you  would  fain  take  service  with  me  ?  "  he  said. 

"  I  want  a  master,"  Oswald  replied,  "  and  from  what  I  hear 
I  am  more  likely  to  see  fighting  under  you  than  under  any 
other  on  the  border." 

"  And  you  were  with  George  Dunbar?  " 

"  I  was,"  Oswald  replied.  "  But  indeed  the  service  was  not 
altogether  to  my  taste,  for  we  were  always  pent  up  in  Dunbar, 
and  save  in  a  street  broil  there  was  no  need  to  draw  a  sword. 
I  was  glad  enough  to  leave  his  service,  though  in  truth  I  have 
fared  but  badly  since." 

"Now  do  you  question  him,  Rotherglen." 

A  number  of  questions  were  put  to  Oswald,  concerning  the 
names  of  the  streets,  the  direction,  the  names  of  the  principal 
inns,  and  the  approaches  to  the  castle.  All  these  were  satis- 
factorily replied  to. 

"  He  knows  Dunbar,  there  is  no  question  about  that.  And 
you  can  use  your  arms?  " 

"I  think  so." 

"  We  will  have  a  trial,"  Baird  said.  "  A  man  is  no  use  to 
me  who  cannot  use  his  weapon.     Send  Robert  here." 

In  a  minute  one  of  the  young  Bairds  entered.  He  was  a 
man  of  about  twenty-five,  tall  and  sinewy,  and  was  accounted 
the  best  swordsman  of  his  family. 


214  BOTH   SIDES   THE    P.ORDER 

"  Cousin  Robert,"  William  Baird  said,  "  this  young  fellow 
would  enter  our  service ;  but  before  I  take  him  I  must  see  that 
he  knows  his  business.  Do  you  take  a  turn  with  the  sword 
with  him.  No,  no,  not  a  two-handed  sword ;  I  don't  want 
him  to  be  slain.  Take  a  couple  of  swords  from  the  wall.  Give 
him  another  steel-cap  and  full  body-armour,  that  of  his  own 
would  not  keep  out  a  good  downright  stroke." 

By  the  time  that  Oswald  was  armed  a  number  of  the  Bairds 
and  their  friends  had  assembled  in  the  hall,  hearing  of  what 
was  going  to  take  place. 

"  A  fine  young  fellow,  truly,"  Rotherglen  said.  "  In  height 
and  width  he  matches  Robert  well,  though  of  course  your 
cousin  must  be  the  more  powerful,  seeing  that  he  is  some  four 
or  five  years  older  than  this  young  fellow,  who,  when  he 
reaches  his  age,  bids  fair  to  be  well-nigh  as  strong  a  man  as 
that  monk." 

Roger  had  just  entered  with  the  priest.  "Well,  monk," 
Baird  said,  "  we  are  going  to  try  the  mettle  of  your  com- 
panion of  yesterday." 

"  I  answer  not  for  his  mettle,"  Roger  said ;  "but  if  he  fights 
as  well  as  he  talks,  he  will  not  do  discredit  to  himself." 

As  they  took  their  places  facing  each  other,  the  lookers-on, 
men  well  qualified  to  judge  of  strength  and  sinew,  murmured 
to  each  other  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  better- matched 
pair.  They  were  about  the  same  height,  both  stood  lightly  on 
their  feet,  and  their  figures  seemed  full  of  life  and  activity. 
Both  were  smiling,  Robert  Baird  with  a  smile  of  confidence 
and  of  assurance  in  his  skill,  while  Oswald's  face  expressed 
only  good  temper,  and,  as  the  others  took  it,  a  belief  that  he 
would  at  any  rate  be  able  to  make  such  a  defence  as  would 
assure  his  being  taken  into  the  Bairds'  service. 

The  first  rally  indeed  proved  more  than  this.  Robert  Baird 
had  at  once    taken   the    offensive,  and   showered    his    blows 


ESCAPE  215 

heavily  down,  while  springing  backwards  and  forwards  with 
wonderful  quickness  and  activity ;  but  Oswald's  blade  ever  met 
his,  and  he  did  not  give  way  an  inch,  even  when  Baird  most 
fiercely  attacked  him.  Then  suddenly  he  adopted  the  same 
tactics  as  his  opponent,  and  pressed  him  so  hotly  that  he  was 
several  times  obliged  to  give  ground.  Oswald  could  twice 
have  got  in  a  heavy  blow,  but  he  abstained  from  doing  so. 
He  could  see  that  his  antagonist  was  a  favourite  among  his 
kinsmen,  and  felt  that,  were  he  to  discomfit  him,  he  would 
excite  a  feeling  of  hostility  against  himself.  Both,  panting 
from  their  exertions,  drew  a  step  backwards  and  lowered 
their  swords. 

"  Enough  ! "  William  Baird  said,  "  the  matter  need  be 
pushed  no  further.  'Tis  long  since  I  have  seen  so  good  a 
bout  of  sw7ord-play.  This  young  fellow  has  learned  his  busi- 
ness, and  if  in  other  respects  he  does  as  well,  he  will  make  a 
good  recruit  indeed.  What  say  you,  lad?  Will  you  join  us 
for  a  month,  till  you  see  whether  you  like  our  service,  and  we 
can  judge  how  your  service  will  suit  us  ?  For  that  time  you 
will  have  your  living  here  and  drink-money.  After  that,  if 
we  agree,  you  can  either  be  a  retainer  here,  or  we  will  give 
you  a  holding  on  the  moor,  build  you  a  shelter,  give  you  a 
horse,  and,  after  our  next  foray,  a  clump  of  cattle." 

"That  will  suit  me  well,"  Oswald  said;  "and  I  like  well 
the  month  of  trial  you  propose." 

"  I  will  take  him,  if  you  will  let  me,  uncle,  as  my  own  man," 
Robert  Baird  said,  "  if  at  the  end  of  the  month  he  chooses 
service  with  us,  and  likes  better  to  follow  a  master  with  half  a 
dozen  men  than  to  live  alone  on  the  moors.  Methinks  he 
would  make  a  cheery  companion,  and  one  I  could  take  to 
heartily ;  and  indeed,  during  the  long  winters,  't  is  no  slight 
thing  to  have  one  merry  fellow  who  can  keep  one  alive,  and 
of  whose  mettle  and  skill  you  are  well  assured." 


216  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

"  So  let  it  be,  then,  Robert ;  you  have  tried  him,  and  yours 
should  be  the  advantage.  But  for  the  month  he  shall  remain 
here  under  Malcolm's  eye." 

Oswald  went  down  with  the  man,  who  was  Baird's  right 
hand  in  the  hold. 

"What  will  be  my  duties?"  he  asked. 

"  To  keep  your  arms  and  armour  ready  for  service." 

"  That  will  be  an  easy  task,  methinks,  for  I  see  that  instead  of 
being  polished  and  bright,  as  were  ours  at  Dunbar,  the  others 
keep  their  steel  caps  and  back-pieces  painted  a  sombre  colour." 

The  other  nodded.  "Yes,  our  arms  are  for  use  and  not 
for  show,  and  when  we  ride  by  moonlight  we  care  not  to  have 
our  presence  shown  miles  away  by  the  glint  of  the  moon  on 
our  armour.  You  will  do  your  turn  of  keeping  watch  and 
ward.  Just  at  present  there  will  be  a  good  deal  of  that,  for 
we  have  been  stirring  up  a  wasps'  nest,  and  mayhap  they  may 
come  and  try  to  sting.  When  you  are  off  duty  you  will  be 
your  own  master,  save  that  you  had  best  be  within  sound  of 
the  warder's  horn.  I  will  hand  over  a  horse  to  you.  For 
the  present  it  is  at  that  croft  on  the  opposite  hill.  Each  of 
the  tenants  keeps  two  or  three  at  our  service.  We  have  only 
the  Bairds'  own  horses  kept  in  the  hold.  It  would  be  too 
much  trouble  to  gather  forage  for  those  of  the  twenty  men 
who  always  live  here,  and  indeed  we  have  no  room  for  such 
number.  Mind  that  you  drink  not  too  much  over  in  the 
village  there,  for  though  the  Bairds  care  not  on  feast-days  if 
the  whole  garrison  gets  drunk,  so  that  there  are  enough  sober 
to  keep  watch  and  ward,  they  set  their  faces  against  it  at 
other  times,  seeing  that  it  leads  to  broils  and  quarrels." 

"  I  will  take  care.  I  like  my  cup  occasionally,  and  can 
drink  with  others  without  my  head  getting  addled,  but  as  a  rule 
I  care  not  overmuch  for  it." 

After  being  roughly  introduced  to  several  of  the  retainers  as 


ESCAPE  217 

a  new  comrade,  Oswald  was  left  to  follow  his  own  devices. 
Presently  Roger  came  out  into  the  court-yard. 

"  So  you  have  got  service,  comrade,"  he  said  in  a  voice  that 
could  be  heard  by  any  of  those  standing  near.  "You  had 
better  fortune  than  I  had  expected." 

"  That  have  I,"  he  replied.  "  Still  I  thought  that  it  would 
be  hard  if  one  who  could  use  his  sword  indifferently  well,  and 
puts  no  great  value  on  his  life,  could  not  find  sendee  on  the 
border.  How  long  do  you  stay  here?"  This  was  a  question 
that  had  been  arranged,  for  had  they  been  seen  speaking  pri- 
vately together  it  might  have  aroused  suspicion. 

"  Methinks  I  shall  stay  here  two  days,  to  get  rid  of  my  leg- 
weariness.  I  am  not  so  accustomed  to  long  marching  as  you 
are."  The  real  meaning  of  the  question,  as  arranged,  was, 
"  Have  you  found  out  where  the  prisoners  are  kept?"  The 
answer  meant  "  Yes,  and  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  get  at  them." 
The  evening  before,  indeed,  when  he  returned  with  the  priest 
to  his  chamber,  they  had  broached  a  bottle  together.  The 
priest  on  his  part  had  asked  many  questions  as  to  the  state  of 
things  in  Edinburgh  and  Dunbar,  what  were  the  opinions  of 
people  with  regard  to  the  Duke  of  Albany  and  the  Prince,  and 
what  would  probably  come  of  the  coldness  that  was  said  to 
exist  between  them. 

Roger  was  able  to  conceal  his  ignorance  of  these  matters  by 
saying  that  he  knew  little  of  what  was  passing,  for  that  he  had 
been  the  cellarer  in  the  convent  and  went  out  but  little. 
Nevertheless  he  had  kept  his  ears  open  ;  as  they  rode  north  to 
Jedburgh  he  had  heard  a  good  deal  of  talk  and  speculation, 
and  was  able  to  give  various  pieces  of  news  that  had  not  before 
reached  the  ears  of  the  priest.  He  was  not  long  in  discover- 
ing that  the  latter  was  ill  satisfied  with  his  present  position, 
and  was  ambitious  to  take  part  in  more  important  affairs,  and 
he  presently  said  : 


218  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  I  wonder,  father,  that  a  man  of  your  ability  should  be  con- 
tent to  remain  as  chaplain  in  a  border  hold  when  there  are  so 
many  opportunities  beyond  for  one  like  you  to  make  his  way 
in  the  Church." 

"  In  truth,"  the  priest  said,  "  I  have  had  such  thoughts 
myself,  and  hope  some  day  to  see  a  little  more  of  the  world. 
By  the  way,  can  you  read  and  write,  brother?"  he  asked 
suddenly. 

"  Assuredly,"  Roger  replied.  He  guessed  at  once  that  the 
question  had  been  put  at  the  instigation  of  William  Baird,  who 
perhaps  still  had  some  doubts  whether  he  was  really  a  monk, 
and  an  affirmative  answer  would  be  an  almost  conclusive  proof 
that  he  was  so,  for  very  few  outside  the  walls  of  the  convents, 
even  among  the  nobles  and  knights,  possessed  any  knowledge 
of  letters. 

"  I  have  a  missal  here,"  the  priest  said  carelessly,  "  that  has 
somewhat  troubled  me,  being  written  in  a  cramped  hand ;  per- 
haps you  could  read  it  for  me,"  and,  getting  up,  he  took  a  roll 
from  a  closet. 

Roger  smiled  quietly  as  he  turned  it  over.  By  a  private 
mark  upon  it  he  knew  that  it  had  been  written  at  Alnwick, 
and  was  doubtless  the  proceed  of  some  foray  upon  a  monastery 
across  the  border.  He  ran  his  eye  over  it,  and  then  in  a 
sonorous  voice  proceeded  to  read  it  aloud. 

"  I  thank  you,"  the  priest  said  when  he  had  finished. 
"  Truly  you  are  an  admirable  reader,  and  well  skilled  in 
deciphering.  I  wonder  that  you  held  not  some  more  impor- 
tant post  than  that  of  cellarer." 

Roger  laughed.  "  I  might  have  done  so,"  he  said,  "  but,  in 
truth,  I  am  not  strict  enough  in  matters  of  discipline  to  suit 
our  prior,  and  am  somewhat  over-fond  of  the  wine-cup.  More 
than  once,  when  it  seemed  that  I  might  have  been  chosen  as 
reader  to  the  monastery,  I   fell  into  disgrace,  and  lost  my 


ESCAPE  219 

chance ;  and,  indeed,  I  was  far  better  pleased  with  my  post 
there  than  if  they  had  appointed  me  sub-prior." 

Any  vestige  of  doubt  there  might  have  been  in  the  priest's 
mind  had  vanished  as  Roger  read,  for  he  was  conscious  that 
he  himself  could  not  have  picked  up  a  manuscript  and  have 
deciphered  it  so  easily  and  fluently. 

"  It  must  be  trying  to  you,  good  father,"  Roger  went  on, 
"  to  be  among  men  who,  if  reports  speak  truly,  are  somewhat 
lawless,  and  hold  even  the  Church  in  but  slight  respect. 
Surely  among  them  there  can  be  but  little  scope  for  your 
abilities?  " 

"  'T  is  true,  brother ;  but  they  are,  you  know,  kinsmen  of 
mine.  They  have  many  foes  across  the  border,  and  some  on 
this  side,  and  are  forced  to  hold  their  own  as  they  may.  It 
was  but  two  days  ago  that  they  were  obliged  to  punish  a  family 
that  have  long  been  at  feud  with  them,  and  who  might  well 
have  fallen  upon  their  holds  if  they  marched  into  England 
with  Douglas.  However,  they  have  brought  off  two  hostages 
for  the  good  behaviour  of  these  people." 

"  Yes,  I  heard  a  chance  word  in  the  village  that  a  party  had 
just  returned  from  a  foray  and  had  brought  back  a  number  of 
prisoners." 

"  Not  a  number,  brother,  but  two  girls." 

"  I  have  seen  no  women  in  the  castle,"  Roger  said. 

"  No.  William  Baird  lost  his  wife  years  ago,  and  cares  not 
to  have  women  in  the  hold.  There  is  not  a  married  man  among 
the  garrison.  If  a  man  takes  him  a  wife  he  must  go  and  settle 
on  the  lands.  The  women  are  in  a  safe  place  of  keeping ;  they 
are  overhead.  There  are  wild  young  fellows  among  the  Bairds, 
and  the  girls  are  good-looking,  therefore  he  thought  it  best  to 
place  them  in  my  charge,  and  that  is  why  you  see  two  sentries 
marching  on  the  battlements,  one  on  each  side  of  this  turret. 
He  himself  keeps  the  key  of  their  chamber,  handing  it  over  to 


220  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

me  every  morning,  and  receiving  it  again  at  night  —  a  precau- 
tion wholly  unnecessary,  methinks." 

"  Surely,  surely,"  Roger  said.  "  I  wonder  that  you  are  not 
offended." 

"  I  told  him  that  it  was  strange  he  could  not  trust  me,  a 
priest,  with  the  charge  of  them,  but  he  laughed  and  said,  '  As 
a  priest  you  are  well  enough,  father  Kenelm,  but  remember 
also  that  you  are  a  Baird.  Though  a  priest,  I  would  trust  you 
to  ride  with  me  on  a  foray  across  the  border,  but  as  a  Baird 
I  would  not  entrust  you  with  the  custody  of  women.  You  may 
take  it  as  a  compliment  that  I  have  trusted  you  as  far  as  I  do.'  " 

Roger's  answer  to  Oswald  had  been  eminently  satisfactory  to 
the  latter.  Still  more  pleased  was  he  when,  later  on  in  the 
day,  Roger  repeated  as  he  passed  him,  "  They  are  lodged  in 
the  turret  over  my  chamber."  Oswald  was  scarcely  surprised, 
for  he  had  noticed  that  two  sentries  were  on  the  wall  on  that 
side,  although  it  was  the  one  farthest  removed  from  the  direc- 
tion in  which  any  foes  were  likely  to  appear.  He  had,  more- 
over, just  before  dinner,  observed  one  of  the  kitchen  men  go 
up  with  two  dishes  in  his  hand  by  the  steps  leading  to  the  top 
of  the  wall  on  that  side.  There  was  no  hindrance  to  the  men 
going  freely  in  and  out  of  the  hold,  and  as  no  duty  had  been 
assigned  to  him  that  evening  he  strolled  out  of  the  gate  when 
it  became  dusk,  soon  after  six  o'clock,  for  it  was  now  the  be- 
ginning of  April,  1 40 1,  and  walked  down  through  the  village, 
and  then,  taking  off  his  armour  and  steel  cap,  and  laying  them 
down  under  a  bush  by  the  roadside,  set  off  at  the  top  of  his 
speed  in  the  direction  of  Parton.  He  did  the  ten  miles  under 
an  hour,  and  nearly  ran  against  a  man  who  was  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  road,  a  short  distance  from  the  little  town. 

"  Is  that  you,  Fergus?" 

"  No,  I  am  John,  master.  Fergus  will  take  the  watch  to- 
morrow evening." 


ESCAPE  221 

"  Good.  Keep  the  horses  saddled  at  this  time  every  even- 
ing, and  hold  them  in  readiness  ail  night ;  things  are  going  on 
well,  and  I  may  be  here  any  night.     Which  is  the  house?" 

"  That  is  it,  master,  where  you  see  the  light,  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  farther  up  the  hill." 

"Where  are  you  sleeping?" 

"  In  the  stables  with  the  horses.  It  is  some  ten  yards  off 
the  right  of  the  house." 

"  Then  you  must  keep  watch  through  the  night  by  turns,  and 
get  your  sleep  in  the  daytime.  I  hope  we  shall  get  them  away 
without  waiting  for  a  force  to  come.  The  hold  is  a  very  strong 
one,  and  a  strict  watch  is  kept  at  night,  and  before  we  could 
carry  it  we  should  have  all  the  Bairds  on  the  country-side 
down  upon  us.  Can  you  get  me  a  rope  ?  I  want  a  long  and 
a  strong  one." 

"  There  are  some  ropes  in  the  stable,  master,  but  they  are 
in  use  and  would  be  missed." 

"  Then  run  at  the  top  of  your  speed  down  to  the  town 
and  buy  a  rope  strong  enough  to  hold  the  weight  of  half  a 
dozen  men.  I  shall  want  a  hundred  feet  of  it.  Here  is 
money." 

The  man  shot  away  into  the  darkness,  and  in  a  little  over  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  was  back  again  with  the  rope.  Oswald 
took  off  his  doublet. 

"  Wind  it  round  and  round  me,"  he  said.  "  Begin  under 
the  arms.  Wind  it  neatly  and  closely  so  that  it  will  make  no 
more  show  than  necessary." 

This  was  soon  done,  and  then  Oswald  started  on  his  way, 
and  an  hour  later  entered  the  tavern  and  took  his  seat  with 
three  or  four  of  the  men  from  the  hold  and  called  for  wine  for 
the  party.  He  sat  there  for  some  time,  and  then  one  said  : 
"  It  is  half-past  eight ;  we  had  best  be  going.  At  seven  o'clock 
the  gates  are  shut,  but  they  are  opened  fur  those  who  belong 


222  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

to  the  hold  till  nine,  after  which  none  are  admitted  till  morning, 
and  any  who  come  in  then  are  reported  to  Baird,  and  they  are 
lucky  if  they  get  off  with  half  a  dozen  extra  goes  of  sentry 
duty.  Baird  is  a  good  master  in  many  things,  but  he  is  a  bad 
man  to  deal  with  when  he  is  angry,  and  if  anyone  was  to  be 
out  a  second  time,  and  he  did  it  too  soon  after  the  first  offence, 
he  would  have  his  skin  nearly  flayed  off  his  back  with  a  stirrup 
leather.     There  is  no  fooling  with  the  Bairds." 

Oswald  arranged  with  Roger  that  if  the  latter  remained  in 
the  castle  he  should  always  come  down  half  an  hour  before 
the  garrison  were  moving,  as  they  might  then  exchange  a  word 
or  two  unseen,  and  accordingly  he  took  his  place  at  an  angle 
of  a  building  where  he  could  keep  his  eye  on  the  steps  leading 
up  to  the  battlements  on  the  north  side.  Presently  he  saw 
Roger  descending;  he  waved  his  hand  and  caught  his  fol- 
lower's eye,  and  the  latter  on  reaching  the  court-yard  at  once 
joined  him. 

"  I  have  a  rope,  Roger,"  Oswald  began,  "  that  will  reach 
from  the  turret  to  the  foot  of  the  craig.  I  took  it  off  during 
the  night,  and  have  just  hidden  it  away  behind  a  pile  of  rub- 
bish in  the  stable.     Are  the  girls  locked  up?" 

«  Yes." 

"Is  there  any  getting  the  key?" 

"  No,  William  Baird  himself  keeps  it." 

"  Then  we  must  have  something  to  force  the  door  open  or 
to  saw  round  the  lock." 

"  The  door  is  studded  with  iron." 

"  Are  the  windows  barred?  " 

"  No ;  but  they  are  mere  loopholes,  and  there  is  no  getting 
through  them." 

"  I  suppose  there  are  steps  from  their  room  on  to  the  plat- 
form above?  " 

"  No  doubt ;  in  fact  there  are  sure  to  be." 


ESCAPE  223 

"  I  suppose  that  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  silencing  the 
priest?" 

Roger  smiled.     "  No  ;  I  think  I  can  answer  for  him." 

"  Could  you  speak  to  the  girls  through  the  keyhole,  Roger?  " 

"There  would  be  no  difficulty  about  that,  master.  I  have 
but  to  choose  a  time  when  the  priest  is  out." 

"  Then  tell  them  that  we  are  here,  Roger,  and  they  are  to 
be  ready  to  escape  whenever  we  give  the  signal.  Ask  them 
if  the  trap-door  leading  on  to  the  platform  is  fastened,  and 
whether  they  can  unfasten  it.  If  not,  we  must  break  it  in 
from  above.  We  can  get  on  to  the  top  of  the  turret  easily 
enough  by  throwing  the  rope  up  with  a  hook  attached.  Of 
course  the  two  sentries  must  be  first  silenced.  I  would  wait 
till  I  myself  should  be  on  sentry  there,  but  that  might  not 
occur  for  a  week,  and  you  cannot  prolong  your  stay  here  more 
than  another  day  ;  therefore  we  will  try  it  to-night.  I  have 
given  the  men  with  the  horses  notice.  Do  you  get  the  priest 
bound  and  gagged  by  ten  o'clock ;  everything  will  be  quiet  by 
that  time.  I  will  come  noiselessly  up  the  steps.  At  that  hour 
do  you  be  at  the  door  and  on  the  look-out  for  me.  The  sen- 
tries will  have  to  be  silenced — that  is  the  most  difficult  part 
of  the  business." 

"  We  can  manage  that,"  Roger  said  confidently  ;  "  one  blow 
with  my  quarter-staff  on  the  back  of  the  head  under  the  steel 
rap  will  do  that  noiselessly  enough." 

"  That  would  not  do,  Roger ;  the  man  would  go  down  with 
such  a  crash  that  the  fall  of  his  armour  on  the  flags  would  be 
heard  all  over  the  castle.  He  must  be  gripped  by  the  throat 
so  that  he  cannot  holloa,  and  then  bound  tightly,  and  gagged 
before  he  has  time  to  get  breath." 

"  I  suppose  that  would  be  the  best  way,"  Roger  said  regret- 
fully ;  «  but  I  should  like  to  have  struck  two  good  blows,  one 
for  the  sake  of  Dame  Armstrong  and  one  for  Allan.     How- 


224  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

ever,  your  plan  is  the  best ;  the  only  difficulty  will  be  the  trap- 
door." 

"  Well,  we  must  look  about  to-day  and  get  a  couple  of  bits 
of  iron  that  we  can  use  as  a  prise.  Still,  I  hope  that  it  will 
not  be  needed.  I  saw  a  bit  of  iron  in  the  stables  that  I  think 
I  can  bend  into  a  hook  for  the  rope,  and  if  I  can't  I  have  no 
doubt  that  you  can.  That  is  all.  You  had  better  move  away 
now,  people  will  be  stirring  directly." 

That  night  at  ten  o'clock,  when  all  in  the  hold  had  been 
asleep  half  an  hour,  Oswald  rose  quietly  from  the  rushes  on 
which  he  and  a  dozen  of  his  comrades  were  sleeping  and  made 
his  way  noiselessly  out  of  the  room,  went  into  the  stables  and 
fetched  the  piece  of  iron,  which  he  had  during  the  day  placed 
so  that  he  could  feel  it  in  the  dark,  took  the  coil  of  rope  in 
his  hands,  and  ascended  the  steps.  The  top  was  but  some 
ten  feet  from  the  turret.  He  stood  quiet  until  he  heard  the 
sentry  moving  away  from  him,  then  he  mounted  the  last  steps, 
and  in  a  moment  reached  the  foot  of  the  turret  stairs.  Roger 
was  standing  there. 

"All  right,  master  !  "  he  whispered.  "  I  took  the  priest  by 
surprise,  and  he  was  gagged  before  he  knew  what  was  happen- 
ing. I  tore  the  blanket  up  into  strips  and  tied  him  down  on 
to  his  pallet  with  them.  He  is  safe  enough.  Now  for  the 
sentries.  I  will  take  the  one  to  the  right  first.  I  will  go  out 
and  stand  in  the  angle  ;  it  is  a  dark  night,  and  there  is  no 
chance  of  his  seeing  me.  When  you  hear  his  walk  cease  you 
will  know  that  I  have  got  him.  I  have  managed  to  bring  up 
a  rope  that  I  have  cut  into  handy  lengths.  Here  are  two  of 
them.     There,  he  has  just  turned,  so  I  will  go  at  once." 

"  How  about  the  trap-door?  " 

"  It  is  all  right,  master ;  it  is  bolted  on  the  inside.  They 
have  tried  the  bolts,  and  find  they  can  move  them  ;  "  and  with 
these  words  he  at  once  stepped  noiselessly  out.     Oswald  stood 


ESCAPE  225 

listening.  Presently  he  heard  the  returning  steps  of  the  sentry. 
They  came  close  up  to  the  turret  and  then  suddenly  ceased. 
He  at  once  hurried  round.  The  sentry  hung  limp  in  Roger's 
grasp.  Oswald  bound  his  hands  tightly,  and  twisted  the  rope 
three  or  four  times  round  his  body,  and  securely  knotted  it. 
Then  he  tied  the  ankles  tightly  together. 

"  I  will  lay  him  down,"  Roger  whispered  when  he  had  done 
so.  Oswald  bent  the  man's  legs,  and,  trussing  him  up,  fastened 
the  rope  from  the  ankles  to  that  which  bound  the  wrists. 
Roger  now  relaxed  his  grip  of  the  man's  throat,  thrust  a  piece 
of  wood  between  his  teeth,  and  fastened  it  by  a  string  going 
round  the  back  of  the  head  ;  he  then  took  off  his  steel  cap  and 
laid  it  some  distance  away. 

'•'  That  will  do  for  him,  master.  I  reckon  that  he  will  be  an 
hour  or  two  before  he  will  get  breath  enough  to  holloa,  even 
without  that  gag." 

The  other  man  was  captured  as  silently  as  the  former  had 
been.  When  he  was  bound,  Roger  said,  "  Now  for  the  hook, 
master." 

"  Here  is  the  iron.     It  was  too  strong  for  me  to  bend." 

Roger  took  it,  and  exerting  his  great  strength  bent  it  across 
his  knee.  Then  he  took  the  coil  of  rope  and  tied  a  knot  at 
the  end,  and  with  some  smaller  cord  lashed  it  securely  along 
the  whole  length  of  the  hook. 

"  Now,  master,  do  you  get  on  to  my  shoulders,  and  I  think 
you  will  be  able  to  hook  it  to  the  battlements.  It  is  not  above 
twelve  feet.     If  you  find  that  you  cannot,  step  on  my  head." 

"I  am  sure  I  can  reach  it  without  that,  Roger."  And, 
indeed,  he  found  that  he  could  do  so  easily ;  and  having  fixed 
it  firmly  he  got  hold  of  the  rope  and  hoisted  himself  to  the  top 
of  the  turret.  In  a  minute  Roger  was  beside  him.  Feeling 
about,  they  soon  discovered  the  trap-door,  on  which  Roger 
knocked  three  times.    Then  they  heard  a  grating  sound  below, 


226  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

and  shortly  one  end  of  the  heavy  trap-door  was  slightly  raised. 
The  two  men  got  their  fingers  under  it  and  pulled  it  up,  and 
Janet  and  Jessie  ran  out,  both  crying  with  joy  and  excitement. 

"  Hush  !  "  Oswald  whispered.  "  Do  not  utter  a  sound  ; 
there  are  sentries  on  other  parts  of  the  walls,  and  the  slightest 
noise  might  be  heard.     Now  we  will  knot  this  rope." 

He  and  Roger  set  to  work,  and  before  long  knots  were  tied 
a  foot  apart  along  the  whole  length  of  the  rope. 

"  I  will  take  you  down  first,  Jessie,  for  you  are  the  lightest," 
Oswald  said.     "  Now,  Roger,  tie  us  together." 

One  of  the  pieces  of  rope  Roger  had  brought  was  passed 
round  and  round  them,  tying  them  firmly  face  to  face. 

"  Now,  Jessie,  you  had  best  take  hold  of  the  rope  too,  and 
take  as  much  of  your  weight  off  me  as  you  can.  It  is  a  long 
way  down,  and  though  I  think  that  I  could  carry  your  weight 
that  distance,  it  is  best  that  you  should  help  me  as  much  as 
you  are  able." 

The  rope  was  shifted  to  the  outside  of  the  turret.  Roger, 
after  fixing  it  firmly,  helped  them  over  the  battlements,  hold- 
ing Oswald  by  the  collar  until  he  had  a  firm  grasp  of  the  rope 
in  his  hands,  and  obtained  a  hold  with  his  feet. 

"That  is  right,  Jessie,"  he  whispered  as  the  girl  also  took  a 
firm  hold  of  the  rope.  "  You  are  no  weight  like  that.  Now, 
let  the  rope  pass  gradually  through  your  hands,  and,  when  I 
tell  you,  hold  tight  by  one  of  the  knots." 

After  lowering  himself  forty  feet,  Oswald  found  that  he  was 
standing  on  a  ledge  of  rock  three  inches  wide  at  the  foot  of 
the  wall. 

"  Now,  dear,  it  will  be  more  difficult,"  he  said.  "  You  must 
use  one  of  your  hands  to  push  yourself  off  from  any  rugged 
points.  There  are  not  many  of  them.  I  had  a  look  at  the 
rock  to-day,  and  its  face  is  almost  smooth.  I  will  do  the  best 
I  can  to  keep  you  from  it." 


Ml      MM      ROPE    PASS    GRADUALLY    THROUGH    YOUR    HANDS." 


ESCAPE  227 

In  another  three  minutes  they  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  craig. 
Oswald  shook  the  rope  violently  to  let  those  above  know  that 
they  were  down.  Then  he  untied  the  cord  that  bound  him  to 
his  cousin,  who  at  once  sat  down,  sobbing  hysterically.  Oswald 
put  his  hand  upon  her  shoulder. 

"  Steady,  Jessie,  steady.  You  have  been  brave  and  quiet 
coming  down.  The  danger  is  over  now,  but  we  have  a  long 
walk  and  a  longer  ride  before  us,  and  you  will  need  all  your 
strength." 

In  a  very  short  time  Roger  and  Janet  joined  them.  As 
soon  as  she  was  untied,  Janet  threw  her  arms  round  Oswald's 
neck  and  spoke  for  the  first  time. 

"  Oh,  Oswald,  from  what  you  have  saved  us  !  How  brave 
and  good  of  you  to  risk  so  much  !  " 

"  Tut,  tut,  Janet,  as  if  we  should  leave  you  here  in  the  hands 
of  the  Bairds  without  making  an  effort  to  free  you  !  Now,  come 
along,  dear.  Be  very  careful  how  you  walk  till  we  get  down 
to  the  bottom.  It  is  pretty  steep,  and  if  you  were  to  set  a 
stone  rolling  we  might  have  them  after  us  in  no  time.  As  it 
is,  we  shall  only  have  an  hour  and  a  half  start,  for  the  sentries 
will  be  relieved  at  midnight.  However,  by  that  time  we  shall 
be  on  horseback,  and  of  course  they  won't  know  which  road 
we  have  taken." 

As  soon  as  they  came  to  level  ground  they  set  off  at  a  run. 
They  were  but  a  mile  from  the  village  when  they  heard,  on 
the  still  night  air,  distant  shouts,  followed  half  a  minute  later 
by  the  winding  of  a  horn,  then  almost  immediately  a  glimmer- 
ing light  appeared  on  the  highest  turret  of  the  hold,  and  this 
rapidly  broadened  out  into  a  sheet  of  flame. 

"They  have  discovered  our  escape  by  some  misfortune  or 
other,"  Oswald  exclaimed,  "  and  they  will  be  after  us  before 
many  minutes  have  passed.  You  must  run  in  earnest  now, 
girls." 


228  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

"Do  you  run  on,  Oswald,"  Janet  said,  "you  and  Roger. 
We  will  turn  and  walk  back ;  they  will  do  us  no  harm." 

Oswald  thought  of  the  murder  of  the  girls'  mother,  and 
knew  that,  in  their  fury  at  having  been  tricked,  the  Bairds 
were  capable  of  anything. 

"  It  is  not  to  be  thought  of,"  he  said.  "  Such  a  watch  would 
henceforth  be  kept  that  there  would  be  no  possibility  whatever 
of  effecting  your  rescue.  We  must  take  our  chance  together. 
What  think  you  had  best  be  done,  Roger?" 

"  In  sooth  I  know  not.  I  am  ready  to  do  whatever  you 
think  best." 

"  We  cannot  hope  to  reach  Parton  before  they  overtake  us," 
Oswald  said.  "  Besides,  the  Bairds  are  sure  to  have  many 
friends  there,  and  the  lighted  beacon  will  warn  all  the  country- 
side that  something  unusual  has  happened.  No,  we  cannot 
think  of  going  there." 

"  But  you  said  that  there  were  horses,"  Janet  said. 

"  They  are  but  a  short  distance  on  this  side  of  the  town. 
We  could  not  hope  to  get  there  before  the  Bairds,  and  even 
if  we  did,  it  would  be  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  we  could 
mount  and  be  off." 

"Could  we  not  hide  and  get  the  horses  after  they  have 
passed,  master?"  Roger  suggested. 

"  It  would  be  useless,  Roger.  The  road  leads  up  and  down 
this  valley,  and  there  would  be  no  possibility  of  riding  the 
horses  across  the  hills  at  night,  so  that  we  should  have  either 
to  ride  down  through  Parton  or  up  past  the  Bairds'  hold.  No, 
the  horses  must  be  given  up  for  the  present.  The  only  thing 
that  I  can  see  is  to  cross  the  Esk  and  to  take  refuge  in  the 
hills.  I  know  not  if  there  are  any  fords,  or  where  they  are,  but 
were  we  to  turn  to  the  right  we  should  be  getting  farther  and 
farther  away.  The  Esk  is  no  great  width,  and  we  can  carry 
them  across  it  easily  enough." 


ESCAPE  229 

"The  water  will  be  dreadfully  cold,"  Jessie  said  with  a 
shiver,  for  it  was  now  the  beginning  of  April. 

"  Hush,  Jessie  !  "  her  sister  said ;  "  what  matters  a  little 
cold  when  our  lives  are  at  stake?" 

"  No,  that  is  our  only  hope,"  Oswald  said.  "  Quick,  girls, 
there  is  no  time  to  lose." 

The  river  was  but  some  fifty  yards  from  the  road,  and  they 
ran  down  to  it. 

"Now,  girls,"  Oswald  said  when  they  reached  it,  "you 
must  take  off  your  cloaks  and  all  upper  garments.  Were  you 
to  get  these  wet  you  would  before  morning  die  of  cold.  Don't 
lose  a  moment;  undress  under  the  shelter  of  these  bushes. 
Now,  Roger,  let  us  move  a  few  yards  away  and  then  take  off 
our  doublets  and  shirts  and  swim  across,  holding  them  above 
the  water.  By  the  time  that  we  are  back  the  girls  will  be 
ready." 

"  I  will  carry  them  across,  master.  It  is  of  no  use  two  of 
us  going  with  so  light  a  burden.     I  shall  make  nothing  of  it." 

Oswald  made  no  opposition,  and  a  minute  later  the  shirts 
and  doublets  were  made  into  a  bundle  and  bound  on  Roger's 
head.  He  waded  into  the  water  until  it  reached  his  chin  and 
then  swam  out.  The  distance  to  be  traversed  was  but  some 
fifteen  yards,  and  a  few  strokes  of  his  brawny  arms  brought 
him  to  the  opposite  bank.  Having  laid  down  his  bundle 
there  he  swam  quickly  back  again. 

"  Are  you  ready,  girls?  "  Oswald  asked. 

"  Yes,"  Janet  replied,  and  two  white  figures  came  out  from 
the  bushes,  each  carrying  a  bundle. 

"  Do  you  go  into  the  bushes  again  for  a  minute.  We  can- 
not take  you  and  the  bundles  over  together,  and  it  is  better 
that  you  should  stand  here  in  dry  things  than  wait  in  wet 
ones  over  there." 

A  minute  sufficed  to  tie   the  bundles  on  the  heads  of  the 


230  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

two  men.  They  soon  swam  across  to  the  other  side,  left 
them  there,  and  returned. 

"The  water  is  bitterly  cold  for  the  girls,"  Oswald  said,  as 
they  swam  across  together. 

"  It  is,  master,  but  they  will  only  be  in  it  for  a  minute, 
and  they  will  soon  be  warm  again." 

"  Now,  girls." 

"  We  have  just  heard  the  sound  of  horses  in  the  distance, 
Oswald,"  Janet  said. 

He  listened.  "Sound  travels  far  this  still  night,"  he  said; 
"  they  can  only  just  have  started.  We  shall  be  across  long 
before  they  come  along.  Now,  Jessie,  we  will  take  you  first. 
The  stream  runs  strongly,  and  it  were  best  that  you  went 
over  separately.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  put  a  hand  on  a 
shoulder  of  each  of  us.     Come  along." 

"  I  will  carry  her  till  we  get  into  deep  water,"  Roger 
said,  catching  the  girl  up  in  his  arms  and  running  into  the 
stream. 

Jessie  gasped  as  the  water  reached  her. 

"It  will  be  over  in  a  minute,"  Oswald  said  encouragingly. 
"  Now,  we  are  going  to  swim ;  put  your  hands  upon  our 
shoulders.     That  is  right." 

Striking  out  strongly  they  easily  carried  her  until  she  was 
in  her  depth. 

"  Now,  dear,  get  ashore  and  stand  behind  those  bushes,  and 
take  off  your  wet  things  and  put  on  your  dry  ones ;  we  will 
have  Janet  across  in  no  time." 

The  girl  was  carried  across  as  easily  as  her  sister  had  been. 

"  Here  is  your  bundle,  dear  ;  Jessie  has  taken  hers.  Dress 
as  quickly  as  you  can.  Stoop  down  as  soon  as  you  reach  the 
bushes;  they  will  be  here  directly." 

Janet  ran  to  the  thicket,  and  Oswald  and  Roger  threw  them- 
selves down  behind  a  great  stone.     Two  minutes  later  they 


IN   HIDING  231 

could  hear  the  thunder  of  hoofs  go  along  the  road  opposite, 
but  could  not  make  out  the  figures. 

"  How  many  are  there  of  them,  do  you  think,  Roger?  " 

"A  dozen  or  so,  master." 

"  Yes,  I  should  think  you  are  right.  However,  it  makes  no 
difference ;  were  there  ten  times  as  many,  they  would  not 
catch  us  to-night." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

IN   HIDING 

THE  moment  the  horsemen  had  gone  by,  Oswald  and 
Roger  hastily  dressed  again.  It  was  three  or  four 
minutes  before  the  girls  joined  them. 

"  We  have  been  a  long  time,  Oswald,  but  our  fingers  are  so 
cold  that  we  could  not  tie  the  strings." 

"  You  will  soon  be  warm ;  climbing  the  hill  will  set  your 
blood  in  motion." 

There  was  no  hurry  now,  they  were  safe  until  the  morning. 

"  We  will  make  up  the  hill  until  you  are  thoroughly  warm, 
and  then  we  will  discuss  matters." 

Before  they  were  very  far  up  the  ascent  both  girls  declared 
that  they  were  comfortably  warm  again. 

"Well,  Roger,  what  do  you  think  our  best  course  will  be? 
The  Bairds  have  of  course  sent  horsemen  along  the  other  road  ; 
they  will  have  heard  from  the  priest  that  we  have  but  a  few 
minutes'  start,  and  will  know  that  we  cannot  have  gone  far. 
The  party  who  passed  us  will  doubtless  stop  at  Parton,  the 
other  at  the  next  village  higher  up,  and  they  will  be  sure  that 
either  we  concealed  ourselves  as  they  passed,  or  have  taken  to 


232  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

the  hills  on  one  side  or  other  of  the  valley.  They  will  natu- 
rally suppose  that  it  is  this  side,  as  it  would  be  madness  for  us 
to  plunge  farther  into  the  country  to  the  west,  and  you  may  be 
sure  there  will  be  scores  of  men  out  on  these  hills  to-morrow 
searching  for  us,  and  some  of  them  may  ride  nearly  to  Hiniltie 
to  cut  us  off  there  in  case  we  escape  the  searchers  on  the  hills. 
I  think  that  the  only  plan  will  be  to  hide  up  for  a  couple  of 
days  or  so,  then  to  make  our  way  down  again  to  where  the 
horses  are,  and  then  make  a  dash  through  Parton." 

"That  would  certainly  be  far  the  best  way,"  Roger  said; 
"but  how  are  we  to  manage  for  food  for  the  ladies?" 

"  We  will  go  on  until  we  get  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  Roger, 
and  then  find  a  sheltered  spot  where  they  can  stop.  It  is  of 
no  use  trying  to  go  on  much  farther,  for  the  night  is  cloudy 
and  there  are  no  stars  to  be  seen,  and  we  should  lose  our  way 
directly,  for  there  is  no  wind  that  would  serve  as  a  guide  as 
to  which  way  we  were  travelling.  When  we  find  a  good 
shelter  we  must  stop  with  them,  and  I  will  make  my  way 
down  to  the  place  where  the  horses  are  and  warn  the  men  as 
to  what  has  happened,  and  tell  them  to  lie  quiet  till  I  come 
again.  I  will  bring  back  whatever  food  they  may  have  with 
them,  a  big  jug  of  water,  and  the  four  horse-cloths." 

"I  will  go,  master." 

"  I  would  rather  go  myself,  Roger.  I  am  accustomed  to 
traverse  the  moors  at  night,  and  am  sure  that  I  can  find  this 
place  again  without  difficulty." 

On  nearing  the  top  of  the  hill  they  came  upon  a  number 
of  rough  stones. 

"  We  cannot  do  better  than  stop  here,"  Oswald  said ;  "  it 
will  be  bare  on  the  top  of  the  hill.  Now,  Roger,  help  me  to 
pile  a  few  of  these  stones  together  so  as  to  make  a  sort  of 
shelter." 

They  set  to  work  at  once,  Roger's  strength  enabling  him 


IN    HIDING  233 

to  lift  stones  that  ordinary  men  could  scarcely  have  moved. 
In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  a  little  inclosure,  six  feet  long  by  four 
wide  and  three  high,  had  been  constructed.  An  armful  of  dry 
heather  was  then  pulled  up  and  laid  on  the  ground. 

"  There,  girls,  I  think  you  will  be  able  to  manage  to  keep 
yourselves  warm  by  lying  close  together." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  Oswald  ?  " 

"  We  shall  be  all  right,  and  we  can  if  we  like  make  another 
shelter,  and  if  we  feel  cold  can  walk  about  to  warm  ourselves. 
Now,  Roger,  get  a  half  dozen  sticks  and  lay  across  the  top." 

While  Roger  was  away  getting  the  sticks  Oswald  helped  the 
girls  over  the  wall,  for  no  entrance  had  been  left. 

"  Now,  Janet,  give  me  those  two  wet  smocks ;  I  see  that 
you  have  brought  them  with  you." 

"What  do  you  want  them  for,  Oswald?" 

"  I  want  them  for  the  roof,  Janet ;  it  is  beginning  to  freeze 
hard,  and  it  is  of  no  use  having  walls  if  you  have  not  a  roof." 

"Won't  you  take  my  cloak  instead?" 

"  Certainly  not,  Janet,  you  will  want  your  cloak  for  a  cover- 
ing ;  don't  be  silly,  but  hand  them  over." 

By  this  time  Roger  had  returned  with  the  sticks.  They 
were  laid  across  the  top,  and  the  girls'  smocks  spread  over 
them. 

"  Now,  go  to  sleep,"  Oswald  said ;  "  we  must  be  on  foot  an 
hour  before  dawn." 

Oswald  then  started  down  the  hill  for  Parton.  When  he 
got  within  a  mile  of  the  town  he  could  see  lights  moving  about 
on  the  road,  and  guessed  that  the  Bairds  had  got  torches  and 
were  making  sure  that  the  fugitives  had  not  hidden  themselves 
anywhere  close  to  the  road,  for  they  must  have  felt  certain  that 
they  could  not  have  reached  the  town  before  being  overtaken. 
When  the  lights  had  gone  along  the  road  he  descended  to 
the  river,  took  off  his  doublet  and  shirt  as  before,  and  swam 


234  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

over,  crossed  the  road,  and  was  not  long  in  finding  the  trees 
that  marked  the  spot  where  he  was  to  turn  off  to  the  farm- 
house. He  made  his  way  to  the  stable,  raised  the  latch,  and 
entered.  A  lamp  was  burning,  and  the  two  men  sitting  and 
talking  together.  They  leapt  up  with  an  exclamation  of 
pleasure  as  Oswald  entered. 

"We  were  afraid  that  something  might  have  gone  wrong, 
for  as  I  was  waiting  for  you  in  the  road  I  heard  a  body  of 
horsemen  coming  along,  and  hid  behind  the  trees.  As  they 
went  by  one  of  them  said,  '  We  must  have  passed  them  long 
ago  if  they  came  by  this  road.  They  had  not  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour's  start.'  I  heard  no  more,  but  it  suggested 
that  maybe  you  had  managed  to  escape  with  the  ladies,  and 
that  the  Bairds  were  in  pursuit  of  you." 

"  That  was  exactly  the  case.  We  have  got  them  out  of  the 
hold,  and  methought  that  we  should  have  got  two  hours'  start 
at  least,  in  which  case  they  would  not  have  overtaken  us  be- 
fore we  had  crossed  the  Liddel  at  the  ford,  six  miles  above 
the  junction  of  the  Esk  with  it,  and  were  well  on  our  road 
towards  Longtown ;  but  by  some  accident,  I  know  not  what, 
the  matter  was  discovered  before  we  had  been  gone  ten  min- 
utes. As  it  was  certain  that  they  would  overtake  us  long  be- 
fore we  got  to  Parton,  we  swam  the  Esk,  and  I  have  left  the 
ladies  on  the  hill  over  there  in  charge  of  Roger  while  I  came 
here.  We  know  that  by  morning  the  countryside  will  be  up 
and  searching  the  hills,  and  that  with  the  two  lasses  it  would 
be  hopeless  for  us  to  try  and  make  our  way  on  to  Hiniltie, 
therefore  we  decided  to  hide  up  for  two  or  three  days,  then  to 
make  our  way  down  here  at  night,  mount,  and  ride  through. 
By  that  time  the  search  down  in  the  valley  here  will  have 
slackened,  and  we  shall  get  through  Parton  all  right,  and  our 
only  danger  will  be  at  the  ford  across  the  Liddel,  where,  pos- 
sibly, the  Bairds  may  set  a  guard  lest  we  find  our  way  down 


IN   HIDING  235 

there.  I  had  intended  that  we  should  take  the  four  horses, 
and  that  you  should  make  your  way  to  Hiniltie  across  the 
hills,  but  as  there  will  now  be  no  great  occasion  for  speed, 
one  of  you  had  best  ride  with  us,  while  the  other  bears  the 
news  to  Hiniltie  that  we  have  carried  off  the  girls.  You  had 
better  settle  between  yourselves  which  shall  go  with  us.  You 
aay  take  it  that  there  is  about  equal  danger  both  ways,  for 
the  one  that  goes  to  Hiniltie  must  travel  cautiously,  as  it  will  be 
a  week  before  the  Bairds  give  up  the  search  among  the  hills." 

"  We  had  best  decide  by  lot." 

Oswald  picked  up  a  piece  of  straw  and  broke  off  two  frag- 
ments, one  an  inch  longer  than  the  other,  and,  closing  his  hand 
on  them,  he  held  the  two  ends  out.  "  Do  you  draw,"  he  said, 
holding  it  out  to  Fergus ;  "  the  longest  straw  goes  to  Hiniltie, 
and  shortest  with  us." 

The  man  drew.  "  I  have  the  longest,"  he  said,  "  and  per- 
haps it  were  best  that  it  should  be  so,  for  I  know  the  way 
thoroughly,  having  often  been  over  the  hills  in  search  of  miss- 
ing cattle." 

"  You  will  both  remain  here  till  we  come.  Now,  what  food 
have  you?" 

"  We  bought  a  supply  in  Parton  yesterday  evening,  and 
have  enough  for  a  week,  for  we  thought  that  some  might  be 
needed  by  the  whole  party  on  our  way,  and,  moreover,  we 
care  not  to  go  down  often  to  the  town,  as  we  might  attract 
attention." 

"  That  is  good  ;  keep  enough  for  to-morrow  for  yourselves ; 
I  will  take  the  rest." 

"  There  is  no  need  for  that.  We  can  get  what  we  want  from 
the  house,  and  to-morrow  evening  one  of  us  will  go  down  into 
Parton  again." 

"  Or,  better  still,"  Oswald  said,  "  give  the  money  to  the  hind 
here.     I  suppose  there  is  one?" 


236  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

"  Yes ;  he  sleeps  in  the  house." 

"  Give  him  money,  then,  and  a  present  for  himself,  and  get 
him  to  fetch  it  for  you.  Some  of  the  Bairds  may  remain  there, 
and  you  may  be  sure  that  every  stranger  will  be  strictly  ques- 
tioned. I  want  also  the  four  horse-cloths,  which  please  make 
into  a  bundle.     Is  your  water-skin  full?  " 

"We  filled  it  this  afternoon,  thinking  it  possible  that  we 
might  make  a  hasty  start  to-night." 

"  How  much  does  it  hold  ?  " 

"  About  two  gallons." 

"  It  would  have  been  better  had  it  been  four.  However,  we 
must  manage  with  it.  Now,  do  you  know  of  any  ford  across 
the  river?  for  I  certainly  could  not  swim  across  with  this  load." 

"  There  is  one  half  a  mile  farther  up.  We  were  asking  the 
hind  about  it  the  other  day,  thinking  that  it  might  be  useful 
should  we  have  to  fly  suddenly.  I  will  go  down  with  you ; 
and  indeed  I  shall  be  glad  to  go  the  whole  way  with  you,  for 
the  provisions  and  those  blankets  and  the  skin  will  be  no  light 
weight,  and  as  I  am  going  to  Hiniltie,  it  will  cheer  Armstrong 
if  I  could  tell  him  that  I  saw  his  daughters." 

"  It  would  be  a  good  plan,  Fergus,  though  in  truth  the 
weight  would  be  no  great  burden ;  but  certainly  Armstrong 
would  be  pleased  to  know  that  you  had  seen  his  daughters." 

A  few  minutes  later  they  set  out,  forded  the  river  breast- 
high,  carrying  the  loads  on  their  heads,  and  then,  climbing  the 
hill,  made  their  way  to  the  shelter,  whose  exact  position  Oswald 
had  marked  on  starting  by  a  huge  boulder  that  stood  on  the 
crest  of  the  hill  some  fifty  feet  above  it.  Roger  was  on  the 
look-out.  Seeing  two  figures  approaching  when  he  expected 
but  one,  he  grasped  his  staff  firmly. 

"  Who  comes  there?  "  he  asked. 

"  It  is  I,  Roger.  I  have  brought  one  of  the  men  with  me 
to  help  carry  the  things.    He  is  going  to  Hiniltie,  and  thought 


IN   HIDING  237 

that  Armstrong  would  be  pleased  to  know  he  had  seen  his 
daughters.     I  have  got  plenty  of  food,  and  a  skin  of  water." 

"  That  is  capital,"  Roger  said  cheerfully.  "  I  was  fearing  that 
having  so  many  things  to  think  of  you  might  forget  water." 

Oswald  went  to  the  shelter. 

"  Are  you  awake,  Janet  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  replied ;  "  I  have  been  anxious  while  you  were 
away." 

"  Are  you  cold  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  very  warm,"  she  answered ;  "  but  do  not  trouble 
about  it,  we  shall  do  very  well." 

"  I  have  two  blankets  here,"  he  said  as  he  removed  the  cover- 
ing. "  One  of  these  I  will  put  over  you  both,  and  tuck  it  well 
in  each  side  to  keep  out  the  wind  that  comes  in  between  the 
stones.  Then  I  will  lay  your  smocks  over  that.  I  wrung  them 
well  before  putting  them  on  the  sticks,  and  although  I  cannot 
say  they  are  dry,  yet  they  are  not  damp  enough  to  matter,  and 
will  help  keep  you  warm.  The  other  blanket  I  will  put  over 
the  sticks." 

"  Thank  you  indeed,  Oswald,"  the  girl  said  gratefully.  "  That 
feels  very  much  more  comfortable." 

"  Now,  Roger,  there  is  a  blanket  for  you,  and  one  for  me,  to 
wrap  round  us  plaid  fashion." 

"  I  do  not  need  one,  master ;  in  faith  I  have  more  respect 
for  this  gown  than  I  ever  had  before  —  it  is  wondrously  warm, 
and  with  the  hood  over  my  head  I  want  nothing  more." 

"That  is  all  very  well,  Roger;  if  you  don't  need  it  for 
your  shoulders,  you  need  it  for  your  legs,  for  being  without 
hose  and  with  nought  but  those  sandals  you  must  be  freezing. 
We  will  walk  up  and  down  here  for  a  bit,  and  do  you  wrap  it 
round  your  legs  like  a  Highlander's  petticoat.  When  we  have 
tired  ourselves  we  will  lie  down  and  try  to  get  a  sleep  for  an 
hour  or  two." 


238  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

As  they  walked  they  talked  over  their  plans,  and  Oswald 
decided  that  before  daybreak  he  would  set  out  on  the  search 
for  a  place  of  concealment. 

"  I  will  leave  my  helmet  and  breast-  and  back-piece  behind 
me,"  he  said,  "  and  will  take  your  staff.  Then  if  I  am  caught 
sight  of  by  any  party  in  the  distance,  I  shall  look  like  a  shep- 
herd, while,  had  I  on  my  iron  harness,  they  would  at  once  sus- 
pect me  of  being  of  the  party,  even  though  I  were  alone.  As 
for  you,  your  monk's  robe  would  be  detected  miles  off." 

"  I  could  leave  it  behind  me,"  Roger  said. 

"  You  have  not  much  on  underneath,  Roger,  and  your  bare- 
ness in  such  weather  as  this  would  be  as  noticeable  as  your 
gown.  Mind,  before  it  gets  light  get  the  ladies  up,  and  carry 
our  bag  of  victuals  and  the  water-skin  over  the  crest.  You 
may  be  sure  that  as  soon  as  it  is  light  there  will  be  many  sharp 
eyes  watching  the  hillside  all  along  here." 

The  man  who  had  come  up  with  them  had  already  wrapped 
himself  in  the  blanket  he  had  brought  with  him,  had  crawled 
in  among  the  bushes,  and  was,  as  they  could  hear  by  his 
heavy  breathing,  already  sound  asleep.  After  a  time  Oswald 
said  that,  as  they  had  nothing  more  to  settle,  he  would  try 
and  get  a  few  hours'  rest.  There  was  not  the  slightest  fear 
of  surprise,  and  Roger  and  he  were  not  long  before  they  were 
both  sound  asleep.  Oswald  woke  two  or  three  times,  and  at 
first  sign  of  dawn  shook  Roger. 

"  You  had  better  wake  the  ladies  in  a  few  minutes,  Roger, 
and  get  them  over  the  crest.  Let  their  man,  as  soon  as  he  has 
seen  them,  start  at  once,  keeping  along  behind  the  ridge,  and 
varn  him  not  to  go  down  into  the  valley  until  he  is  fully  a  mile 
beyond  Parton.  Tell  him  to  look  carefully  along  the  road 
before  he  begins  to  descend,  and  to  see  that  it  is  clear.  Even 
then  let  him  hide  as  much  as  may  be  behind  brushwood  and 
rock  until  he  gets  down.     When  he  has  swum  the  river  let  him 


IN   HIDING  239 

make  a  wide  detour  round  Parton,  so  as  to  come  down  to  the 
stables  without  being  noticed.  I  shall  not  be  very  long  away. 
'T  is  scarce  likely  among  these  hills  that  I  shall  find  any  place 
that  we  can  crawl  into,  and  I  think  we  shall  have  to  content 
ourselves  with  lying  down  among  the  heather.  I  must  find  a 
spot  where  no  one  on  any  hill  above  can  look  down  on  us.  We 
shall  be  quite  safe  from  any  party  moving  along  on  the  same 
'evel  as  ourselves." 

Oswald  had  gone  but  a  little  distance  when  he  determined 
that  no  better  place  could  be  found  than  the  plateau  itself. 
This  extended  for  two  or  three  hundred  yards  from  the  edge 
looking  down  into  the  valley.  Beyond,  the  ground  sloped 
sharply  down  again  into  a  deep  hollow,  and  beyond  it  was 
broken  into  rounded  swells  rising  one  above  another.  A  party 
lying  among  the  heather  where  he  was  standing  could  not  be 
seen  by  watchers  from  any  other  point.  Moreover,  it  was 
most  important  that  all  should  be  in  shelter  before  it  was 
fairly  daylight.  He  therefore,  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough 
to  take  in  the  principal  features  of  the  scene,  hurried  back  to 
his  companions. 

"We  can  do  no  better,  girls,  than  to  lie  down  together  two 
hundred  yards  away.  Pick  your  way  through  the  bushes 
where  they  are  thinnest,  so  as  not  to  disturb  them ;  please  be 
off  at  once,  and  choose  a  spot  close  to  where  the  ground  falls 
away  on  the  other  side.  Roger  and  I  must  tumble  this  shelter 
down  and  scatter  the  sticks,  for  if  anyone  searching  the  hillside 
came  along  he  would  guess  that  we  had  slept  here,  and  there 
would  be  a  hue  and  cry  at  once." 

The  man  had  left  some  time  before  for  the  valley,  having 
gone  off  as  soon  as  he  had  spoken  to  the  girls.  Oswald  and 
Roger  ran  down  to  the  shelter,  speedily  threw  the  stones  into 
a  heap,  and  scattered  the  sticks ;  then,  after  glancing  round 
to  see  that  nothing  had  been  left,  they  collected  the  blankets. 


240  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

provisions,  and  water-skin,  and  taking  up  these  and  Oswald's 
armour  ran  in  the  direction  that  Oswald  had  pointed  out  to 
the  girls.  The  ground  was  thickly  covered  with  heather,  and 
they  had  to  step  carefully  to  avoid  pressing  it  down.  They 
reached  the  edge  of  the  plateau  without  seeing  the  girls,  and 
after  looking  round  for  a  minute  or  two  Oswald  called  aloud. 
He  was  answered  by  a  merry  laugh,  and  Jessie's  head  rose 
above  the  heather.  They  had  indeed  passed  within  five  or 
six  yards  of  the  girls. 

"That  is  good  indeed,"  Oswald  said,  as  he  lay  down  beside 
them.  "  If  I  could  not  see  you  when  I  was  sure  that  you  were 
quite  near,  there  is  no  fear  of  any  searchers  lighting  upon  you. 
The  sun  has  just  risen  and  a  mist  still  hangs  on  the  top  of  the 
hills,"  he  went  on,  "  and  I  am  convinced  that  we  cannot  have 
been  seen,  for  men  placed  on  the  watch  are  sure  to  be  high 
up  on  the  hills,  and  it  will  be  some  time  yet  before  the  sun 
rises  high  enough  to  drive  away  the  mist." 

Although  it  was  freezing  sharply  they  felt  by  no  means  cold 
as  they  lay  wrapped  in  their  blankets,  with  the  heather  rising 
well  above  them  and  sheltering  them  from  a  light  breeze  that 
had  sprung  up  at  sunrise. 

After  chatting  with  the  girls  for  a  time,  Roger  and  Oswald 
left  them,  and  crawling  along  on  their  stomachs  got  to  the 
edge  of  the  descent.  By  this  time  the  sun  was  well  above  the 
hills,  the  mist  had  cleared  off,  and  they  had  an  extensive  view. 
From  time  to  time  they  caught  sight  of  groups  of  three  or  four 
mounted  men  moving  about,  searching  the  vallays,  while  single 
men  on  foot  rambled  over  the  hills. 

"  They  are  keeping  up  an  active  search,  Roger.  'T  is  well 
that  we  went  no  farther.  They  will  scarce  suspect  us  of  lying 
close  to  the  valley  we  left.  I  expect  the  main  body  has  gone 
much  farther.  I  have  no  doubt  the  Bairds  have  a  couple  of 
hundred  men  and  boys  out.     They  would  call  out  every  man 


IN   HIDING  241 

and  boy  from  their  holdings,  and  most  likely  get  a  couple  of 
score  of  men  from  their  village,  and  perhaps  twice  as  many 
from  Parton.  No  doubt  they  will  think  that  if  we  came  in  this 
direction  we  should  last  night  have  found  our  way  to  one  of 
the  tracks  across  the  hills,  and  it  is  near  these  that  their  search 
will  be  the  keenest.  Fortunately  they  cannot  know  that  I  am 
here,  nor  guess  that  it  is  to  Yardhope  that  we  intend  to  take 
them,  and  not  to  Hiniltie.  Still,  they  may  expect  that  we 
shall  try  to  cross  the  border,  and  I  fancy  we  shall  scarcely 
get  through  without  a  fight." 

"  All  the  better,"  Roger  grumbled.  "  My  fingers  tingle  to 
bring  down  this  staff  on  the  head  of  some  of  the  Bairds  after 
all  the  trouble  they  have  given  us." 

They  remained  watching  until  it  became  dusk,  except  that 
twice  during  the  day  they  crawled  back  and  partook  of  a  meal 
with  the  girls.  The  last  time  they  joined  them  Oswald 
said  : 

"  Now,  in  half  an  hour  it  will  be  quite  dark,  and  then  we 
can  safely  get  up  and  walk  about  for  a  bit.  I  am  sure  you 
must  feel  stiff  lying  still  so  long." 

"  I  have  never  kept  quiet  for  so  long  a  time  since  I  can 
remember,"  Jessie  said  laughing. 

"  That  shows  that  you  have  had  no  illnesses,  Jessie.  How- 
ever, I  shall  be  glad  to  get  up  and  stretch  my  limbs  myself. 
Half  an  hour  will  be  enough,  and  then  we  will  have  a  good 
lung  night.  Another  day  of  it  and  I  think  it  will  be  safe  to 
start." 

The  next  afternoon  they  saw  a  number  of  parties  searching 
the  hills  in  all  directions. 

"  I  expect  they  have  become  convinced  that  we  have  not 
tried  to  get  straight  through,  Roger,  and  are  hunting  back  for 
us.  It  is  as  well  that  it  will  be  dark  in  another  half-hour,  and 
they  will  then  have  to  give  up  their  search  for  the  night.     If 


242  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

there  were  a  couple  of  hours  more  light  I  should  feel  very 
uneasy." 

"  So  should  I,  master.  You  and  I  would  have  little  chance 
of  mercy  if  we  fell  into  their  hands.  It  might  well  be  that  in 
their  anger  they  might  slay  the  ladies  also." 

"That  would  be  like  enough,  Roger.  However,  there  can 
be  no  chance  of  their  coming  here  before  it  is  dark." 

At  nine  o'clock  they  started  and  made  their  way  down,  with 
some  difficulty  and  many  slips  and  falls,  into  the  valley.  Then 
they  kept  along  near  the  river,  till  Oswald  was  sure  they  were 
close  to  the  ford.  He  bade  them  halt  here,  and  went  forward 
alone.  Before  he  had  gone  fifty  yards  he  nearly  stumbled 
against  a  man. 

"  Is  it  you,  John  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is  I." 

"Is  all  well?" 

"  It  is  all  well,  but  I  had  a  fright  yesterday  morning.  The 
Bairds  searched  every  cottage  and  hut  over  the  hills  on  this 
side,  and  they  say  their  men  rode  almost  as  far  as  Galloway ; 
but  they  gave  up  the  search  before  they  got  here,  feeling 
assured  that  they  must  have  passed  you  very  soon  after  you  left 
the  hold,  and  you  could  never  have  got  as  far  down  as  this." 

"  'T  is  well  they  did  not  search,  indeed,"  Oswald  said. 
"  Your  story  about  the  horses  might  do  well  enough  for  those 
who  have  no  interest  in  the  matter,  but  it  would  never  have 
done  for  the  Bairds.     All  has  been  quiet  to-day?" 

"They  seem  to  have  given  up  searching  on  this  side.  I 
hear  that  they  feel  sure  now  the  ladies  have  made  for  Hiniltie, 
and  they  have  had  great  forces  out  among  the  hills,  and  feel 
confident  that  they  must  catch  them  soon." 

"  Have  you  got  the  horses  saddled  ?  " 

"  They  are  saddled  and  brought  down  close  to  the  road ; 
Fergus  is  with  them." 


IN   HIDING  243 

"Then  bring  them  across  at  once.  The  sooner  we  are  off 
now  the  better.  Are  there  any  of  the  Bairds'  men  in  the 
town?" 

"  There  are  a  few  of  them,  but  as  no  one  has  any  idea  that 
you  are  like  to  pass  through  there,  they  will  not  be  on  the 
look-out.  Besides,  all  will  have  been  among  the  hills  from 
daybreak  this  morning,  and  I  expect  by  this  time  there  is 
scarce  a  soul  awake  in  Parton." 

Oswald  returned  to  the  girls,  and  they  went  out  together 
to  the  ford.  In  a  couple  of  minutes  the  men  were  seen 
making  their  way  across,  riding  two  horses  and  leading  the 
others. 

"  We  thank  you  heartily,"  Janet  said,  "  for  having  so  risked 
your  lives  for  us,  for  had  you  been  caught  with  the  four  horses, 
they  would  at  once  have  connected  you  with  us,  and  it  would 
have  gone  hard  with  you." 

"  We  have  been  keeping  away  from  the  horses  yesterday  and 
to-day,  just  going  to  a  distance  and  lying  down  where,  without 
being  seen  ourselves,  we  could  watch  anyone  who  went  up  to 
the  farm.  We  could  have  done  no  good,  and  thought  that  it 
was  better  that  we  should  be  able  to  warn  you  if  they  had 
come  and  taken  the  horses  away." 

After  crossing  the  river,  Fergus  at  once  started  on  foot  for 
Hiniltie. 

They  had  already  discussed  how  they  should  ride,  and  it 
had  been  settled  that  at  starting  Janet  should  ride  the  fourth 
horse,  and  that  Jessie  should  ride  behind  the  others  by  turns. 
If  an  attack  was  threatened,  Jessie  was  to  mount  behind  her 
sister,  and  they  were  to  take  their  place  between  Oswald  and 
Roger,  while  their  own  man  rode  close  behind  them.  It  was 
just  ten  o'clock  as  they  rode  through  Parton ;  not  a  light  was 
to  be  seen ;  the  whole  place  appeared  wrapt  in  sleep.  They 
went  through  at  a  walk,  so  that  if  any  heard  them  they  would 


244  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

suppose  that  it  was  a  belated  party  of  the  searchers,  and 
would  give  the  matter  no  further  thought.  After  riding  for  a 
short  distance,  they  put  the  horses  into  a  trot.  Four  hours 
later  they  halted  at  the  point  where  the  road  down  the  Esk 
valley  divided,  one  going  to  the  ferry  a  few  hundred  yards 
farther  on,  while  the  other  turned  to  the  left  and  followed  the 
bank  of  the  Liddel. 

John  had  inquired  about  the  ferry,  and  learned  that  the 
ferry-boat  no  longer  plied,  as,  since  the  troubles  began,  there 
was  so  little  traffic  that  it  did  not  pay  the  ferryman  to  remain 
there.  As  they  had  already  decided  to  cross  by  the  ford  four 
miles  higher  up,  this  did  not  matter.  As  none  of  them  was 
aware  of  its  exact  position,  they  decided  to  wait  where  they 
were  until  daylight.  Searching  about  they  found  a  deserted 
hut,  with  a  shed  adjoining  it.  The  horses  were  led  into  this, 
and  the  party  then  gathered  in  the  hut,  and  John  struck  a  light, 
while  Oswald  and  Roger  broke  up  a  fallen  gate  and  the  fire 
was  soon  blazing.  Although  there  was  not  the  slightest  chance 
of  anyone  travelling  the  road  at  this  hour,  they  hung  one  of 
the  thick  blankets  across  the  window,  thus  keeping  out  the 
cold  air,  as  well  as  preventing  the  light  from  being  seen. 
Then  the  party  lay  down,  the  men  taking  it  by  turns  to  stand 
guard  outside,  being  relieved  every  two  hours. 

As  soon  as  day  dawned  they  again  mounted.  It  was  about 
four  miles'  ride  to  the  point  where  the  road  divided,  one  branch 
going  towards  the  river,  some  seventy  or  eighty  yards  away. 
Here  stood  a  square  building  of  some  size,  used  as  a  refuge  by 
travellers  who  arrived  when  the  Liddel  was  swollen  and  the 
ford  impracticable.  When  the  riders  had  come  within  a  few 
yards  of  this  building  two  men,  hearing  the  sound  of  horses' 
hoofs,  came  out.  As  their  eye  fell  upon  the  party  they  gave  a 
shout,  ran  out  into  the  road,  and  drew  their  swords.  Roger 
and  Oswald  rode  at  them.     Parrying  a  thrust  of  one  of  the 


IN   HIDING  2-iO 

men,  Oswald  cut  him  down,  while  Roger  with  a  tremendous 
blow  from  his  staff  stretched  the  other  man  on  the  road. 

"  Ride  on,  girls  !  we  will  follow  you,"  Oswald  shouted. 

Jessie  was  sitting  behind  John,  and  they  and  Janet  dashed 
forward  and  rode  into  the  water.  Oswald  and  Roger  followed, 
as  six  men  armed  with  spear  and  sword  ran  out  from  the  house. 
Seeing  that  they  were  too  late,  the  leader  shouted  to  the  others  : 

"  Fetch  out  the  horses  and  chase  them  !  "  and  before  the 
party  had  gained  the  opposite  bank  their  pursuers  dashed  into 
the  water. 

"  Don't  press  your  horses  too  hardly,"  Oswald  said,  as  they 
galloped  along.  "They  are  too  close  behind  us  for  us  to  get 
help  from  any  of  the  small  villages,  but  they  dare  not  follow 
us  into  Longtown,  and  we  have  barely  a  ten  miles'  ride." 

They  had  some  two  hundred  yards'  start,  and  for  the  first 
four  miles  held  their  own ;  then  their  pursuers  began  to  gain 
upon  them.  One  of  the  horses  was  carrying  double,  and 
Roger  and  Oswald  were  both  heavier  than  any  of  the  moss- 
troopers. 

"  We  shall  have  a  fight  for  it,  Roger." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  was  thinking,  master.  Well,  there 
are  three  of  us,  and  as  there  are  only  six  of  them  we  ought 
not  to  have  much  trouble.  John  will  be  a  match  for  one. 
Methinks  you  and  I  can  each  make  short  work  of  a  man  when 
they  first  come  up,  and  with  but  three  of  them  against  two  it 
will  be  mere  child's  play." 

The  road  was  a  narrow  one  and  little  used,  and  when  they 
came  to  the  foot  of  a  sharp  rise  Oswald  called  to  those  ahead 
to  stop. 

"  Jump  down,  Jessie,  and  mount  behind  Janet,  and  ride  on 
ahead ;  we  will  soon  get  rid  of  these  fellows.  Be  quick  I  " 
The  moss-troopers  were  now  but  seventy  or  eighty  yards 
behind. 


24^6  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

"  I  shall  fight  on  foot,"  Roger  said,  as  he  leapt  off  his  horse. 
"  I  want  both  hands  for  this  staff."  Turning  his  horse,  and 
bidding  John  to  do  the  same,  Oswald  reined  back  his  animal 
three  or  four  lengths,  and  when  the  Bairds'  party  were  within 
twenty  yards,  touched  it  with  his  spur  and  dashed  at  them, 
meeting  them  just  abreast  of  Roger.  The  first  man  he  met 
thrust  at  him  with  his  spear,  but  Oswald  parried  with  his 
sword,  and  with  a  back-handed  blow  smote  the  man  just  under 
the  chin,  and  he  fell  with  a  crash  from  his  horse.  At  the  same 
moment  he  heard  a  blow  like  that  of  a  smith's  hammer,  as 
Roger's  staff  fell  upon  the  steel  cap  of  the  first  who  attacked 
him.  John  was  less  fortunate,  for  his  opponent's  spear  struck 
him  in  the  throat,  and  he  fell  heavily  from  his  saddle. 

"  Well  stricken,  Jock  !  "  one  of  them  shouted.  "  Ride  on 
after  the  women ;  we  will  settle  with  these  fellows." 

But  before  the  moss-trooper  could  obey  the  order,  Oswald, 
with  a  touch  of  the  spur  and  the  bridle,  caused  his  horse  to 
curvet  round,  and  smote  the  man  so  mighty  a  blow  on  the 
shoulder  as  well-nigh  to  sever  his  arm  from  his  body.  As  he 
wheeled  his  horse  again  he  was  nigh  unseated  by  a  spear- 
thrust  that  struck  him  on  the  breast-piece ;  but,  upon  recover- 
ing, he  struck  his  opponent  as  he  passed  so  heavy  a  blow  in 
the  face  with  the  pommel  of  his  sword  that  he  sent  him  sense- 
less to  the  ground.  The  other  two  men  had  furiously  attacked 
Roger,  but,  whirling  his  staff  round  his  head,  he  had  kept  them 
both  at  bay  ;  then  the  staff  descended  between  the  ears  of  one 
of  the  horses,  which  fell  headlong,  and  before  the  rider  could 
get  his  foot  from  the  stirrup  the  staff  struck  him  below  the 
steel  cap,  just  in  front  of  the  ear,  and  without  a  cry  he  fef 
dead  beside  his  horse.  At  that  the  last  of  the  moss-troopers 
turned  his  horse  and  galloped  off  at  full  speed. 

"We  have  not  taken  long  over  that,  master,"  Roger  said 
with  a  grim  smile.     "  Five  men  in  a  minute  is  not  so  bad." 


IN    HIDING  247 

"  I  am  afraid  John  is  killed,  Roger ;  see  to  him." 

"  Ay,  he  is  sped,"  Roger  replied,  as  he  turned  the  body 
over.  "The  spear  struck  him  full  in  the  throat.  That  is 
what  comes  of  not  learning  to  use  your  weapons.  What  shall 
we  do  with  him?  " 

"  He  was  a  faithful  fellow,  Roger,  and  as  there  is  no  need 
for  haste  now,  we  will  give  him  some  sort  of  burial,  and  not 
let  him  lie  here  in  the  road." 

"  We  have  nought  to  dig  a  grave  with,"  Roger  remarked. 

"  No,  but  there  are  plenty  of  stones  about." 

He  dismounted,  and  with  Roger's  help  carried  the  dead 
man  a  short  distance  away,  laid  him  down  by  the  side  of  a 
great  boulder,  and  then  piled  stones  around  and  over  him. 

"  That  will  do,  Roger ;  't  is  not  like  that  anyone  will  dis- 
turb those  stones  for  years  to  come.  He  will  rest  as  well  there 
as  if  he  lay  in  a  grave.     Now  let  us  look  to  the  others." 

The  man  he  had  struck  across  the  throat,  and  the  last 
Roger  had  hit,  were  both  dead.  Two  of  the  others  were 
but  stunned,  while  the  one  upon  whose  shoulder  Roger's  blow 
had  fallen  was  lying  insensible,  and  evidently  was  fast  bleeding 
to  death. 

"  We  can  do  nought  for  him,"  Oswald  said.  "  Even  had 
we  the  king's  leech  here  we  could  not  save  him.  Now  let  us 
be  off." 

"Shall  we  take  the  horses,  master?" 

"  No,  they  will  be  but  an  incumbrance,  and  now  that  poor 
fellow  has  gone,  we  have  one  apiece.  Bring  his  horse  along 
with  you." 

Mounting  they  rode  quickly  on,  and  at  the  top  of  the  hill 
came  up  with  the  girls,  who,  having  seen  the  result  of  the 
<  ombat,  had  waited  for  them. 

"  Now  we  are  safe  and  free,  thanks  to  you  both,"  Janet  said. 
"Jessie   looked  back  and  saw  the  fight  as  we  rode.     How 


248  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

quickly  it  was  over  !  But  I  am  grieved  indeed  that  John 
has  fallen.  We  saw  you  carrying  off  his  body  and  covering  it. 
Jessie  had  noticed  him  fall,  and  we  feared  't  was  all  over  with 
him.  He  was  an  old  retainer  of  our  father's  and  a  faithful 
one." 

"  I  am  sorry  indeed  that  he  has  been  slain,  Janet ;  but  we 
could  hardly  expect  to  come  out  altogether  scathless." 

"  Are  all  the  others  killed  ?  "  Jessie  asked. 

"  No.  Two  of  them  are  but  stunned,  and  will  ere  long  be 
able  to  mount  and  ride  off  again." 

"  Master  Oswald  has  gained  the  most  honours  in  the  fight. 
I  killed  one  and  stunned  another.  He  has  stunned  one  also, 
but  has  slain  two." 

"  I  had  a  better  arm,  Roger." 

"  I  know  not  that,"  Roger  replied.  "  A  quarter-staff  of 
that  weight  is  a  fine  weapon.  I  say  not  that  it  is  to  be  com- 
pared to  a  mace,  but  when  on  foot  I  would  as  lief  have  it  as  a 
sword." 

"  Now,  Jessie,  do  you  mount  John's  horse.  We  can  ride 
quietly,  for  Longtown  is  but  some  three  miles  ahead." 

They  rested  there  for  a  couple  of  hours,  then  mounted 
again  and  crossed  the  Pentlands  by  a  horse-track  between 
Cristindury  and  Gele  Craigs.  Coming  down  into  Tynedale 
they  put  up  for  the  night  at  the  first  place  they  came  to.  At 
daybreak  they  set  off  northwards,  crossed  Reddesdale,  and 
came  down  in  the  afternoon  into  the  valley  of  the  Coquet, 
within  two  miles  of  Yardhope.  Great  indeed  was  the  surprise 
and  joy  of  John  Forster  and  his  wife  when  they  made  out  the 
two  girls  riding  with  Oswald  towards  the  hold. 

"What  miracle  is  this,  lad?"  the  former  said,  while  his  wife 
was  embracing  her  nieces.  "  We  heard  but  two  days  since  of 
the  raid  on  the  Armstrongs,  and  how  the  girls  were  carried  off 
by  the  Bairds," 


IN   HIDING  249 

Here  Oswald  put  his  finger  to  his  lips  to  stop  him  from  say- 
ing aught  of  Jane  Armstrong's  death.  He  had,  after  dis- 
mounting, whispered  in  his  mother's  ear  before  she  had  time 
to  speak  to  the  girls,  that  as  yet  they  knew  nought  of  their 
mother's  death,  and  that  he  had  left  it  to  her  to  break  it  to 
them. 

"  I  have  been  since  scouring  the  country,"  his  father  went 
on,  "  to  try  to  get  my  friends  to  take  the  matter  up,  but  in 
truth  they  were  not  over-willing  to  do  so.  All  know  that  it  is 
no  slight  enterprise  to  attack  the  Bairds  in  their  stronghold. 
We  fared  but  badly  last  time  we  went  there,  though  that  was 
but  a  blow  and  a  retreat ;  but  all  know  that  the  Bairds'  hold  is 
not  to  be  taken  like  a  country  tower.  'T  is  greatly  bigger 
and  stronger  than  ours,  and  scarce  to  be  attempted  save  by 
a  royal  army,  especially  as  the  whole  countryside  would  be 
swarming  round  us  in  a  few  hours  after  we  crossed  the 
border.  This  time,  too,  it  is  no  quarrel  of  my  people ;  and, 
as  they  say,  the  risk  would  be  indeed  great,  and  the  loss  very 
heavy. 

"  I  sent  off  a  messenger  this  morning  to  Armstrong,  to  tell 
him  that  I  feared  I  could  not  raise  more  than  sixty  spears,  but 
with  these  I  would  ride  to  Hiniltie  and  join  any  force  he 
could  collect,  and  try  with  him  to  surprise  the  Bairds'  hold  and 
rescue  the  girls,  though  it  seemed  to  be  a  mighty  dangerous 
enterprise." 

"  He  will  have  learnt  yesterday  morning,  father,  that  we 
have  carried  them  off.  We  could  have  brought  you  the  news 
last  night,  but  to  do  so  we  must  have  ridden  fast,  and  the 
girls  being  with  us,  we  thought  it  were  better  to  take  two 
days  over  the  journey,  so  we  slept  in  Tynedale  last  night." 

"  And  how  did  you  manage  it?  For  unless  you  and  Roger 
flew  into  the  Bairds'  hold,  and  carried  them  off  on  your  backs, 
I  sec  not  how  it  could  be  managed.     Why,  the  place  is  so 


2oO  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

strong  that  even  the  Douglases  have  not  cared  to  carry  out  the 
terms  of  the  treaty  for  the  arrest  of  William  Baird  as  a  noto- 
rious breaker  of  the  truce  between  the  two  countries." 

"  It  was  because  I  knew  Armstrong  deemed  that  it  was 
scarce  likely  a  force  could  be  gathered  by  you  and  his  friends 
strong  enough  to  undertake  such  an  enterprise,  that  we  de- 
cided to  rescue  them  by  strategy.  The  affair  turned  out  to 
be  easy  enough." 

And  he  then  related  in  detail  the  manner  in  which  he  and 
Roger  had  obtained  entry  into  the  hold  and  had  succeeded  in 
rescuing  his  cousins. 

"  By  the  bones  of  St.  Oswald,  from  whom  you  got  your 
name,  lad,"  John  Forster  exclaimed  when  he  had  finished 
his  story,  "  you  have  carried  out  the  matter  marvellously  well ! 
Hotspur  himself  could  not  have  contrived  it  better ;  and  I  own 
that  I  was  wrong,  and  that  that  fancy  of  yours  to  be  able  to 
read  and  write  has  not  done  you  the  damage  that  I  feared  it 
would.  Henceforth  I  will  maintain  with  all  my  might  that 
these  things  in  no  way  tend  to  soften  a  man,  but  on  the  con- 
trary, in  some  way  sharpen  his  wits,  and  enable  him  to  carry 
out  matters  with  plans  and  contrivances  such  as  would  scarce 
be  conceived  by  men  who  had  not  such  advantage.  But  why 
do  we  not  go  inside?  " 

"I  have  been  keeping  you  here,  father,  because  I  doubt  not 
that  my  mother  has  been  breaking  the  news  to  the  girls  of  their 
mother's  slaughter.  I  said  nought  to  them  about  it.  They 
knew  the  hold  was  burnt,  and  I  told  them  that  Allan  was 
wounded ;  but  I  thought  that  if  I  gave  them  the  worst  part  of 
the  news,  it  would  throw  them  into  such  deep  grief  as  to  unfit 
them  for  the  journey.  It  might  not  have  been  discovered  till 
two  hours  after  we  had  started  that  they  had  escaped,  and  in 
that  case  we  should  have  been  mounted  before  the  Bairds  over- 
took us,  and  it  would  have  been  a  ride  for  life,  and  the  girls 


ANOTHER   MISSION"   TO    LUDLOW  ^51 

would  have  needed  all  their  strength  and   courage  to  keep 
them  up." 

"  It  was  as  well  so,  Oswald,  and  doubtless  your  mother  will 
break  it  more  easily  to  them  than  you  could  have  done. 
Women  are  better  at  such  things  than  men,  who  are  given  to 
speak  bluntly  and  straight  what  has  to  be  told." 


CHAPTER   XV 

ANOTHER   MISSION   TO    LUDLOW 

WHILE  Oswald  was  talking  with  his  father,  Roger  had 
taken  the  four  horses  round  to  the  long  shed  that  ran 
along  one  side  of  the  wall,  and  had  there  been  telling  the 
moss-troopers  the  same  story  Oswald  had  been  relating  to  his 
father,  whom  he  now  joined. 

"  Well,  friend  Roger,"  John  Forster  said,  as  he  came  up, 
shaking  him  heartily  by  the  hand,  "  by  my  faith  my  son  is 
fortunate  in  having  so  stout  a  fellow  as  his  henchman." 

'•  'T  is  rather  that  I  am  fortunate  in  having  him  as  a  master," 
Roger  replied.  "  I  have  but  to  strike  as  he  bids  me,  and  there 
is  no  need  for  me  to  think,  for  my  brain  bears  no  proportion 
to  my  bulk  ;  and  indeed  even  in  the  matter  of  strength  he 
bids  fair  to  equal  me,  for  he  seems  to  me  to  grow  taller  and 
stronger  every  month,  which  is  not  surprising  seeing  that  you 
are  yourself  much  beyond  the  common.  In  all  this  matter 
there  is  no  credit  due  to  me,  save  that  I  have,  as  faithfully  as 
I  could,  carried  out  his  orders." 

"  All  men  can  try  to  carry  out  orders,  Roger,  but  it  is  not 
all  who  can  do  it  with  intelligence.  Doubtless  it  has  some- 
thing to  do  with  the  book  learning  that  you  have,  and  in 
which  vmi  were  his  instructor. *' 


252  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  I  think  not  that  it  is  so  in  any  way,  Master  Forster," 
Roger  replied  quickly,  for  he  liked  not  the  thought  that  he 
had  gained  any  advantage  whatever  from  his  stay  in  the  con- 
vent. "  It  might  likely  be  useful  to  a  man  of  small  stature, 
whose  thoughts  would  naturally  turn  to  being  a  scribe,  and  to 
making  his  living  by  such  finicking  ways  instead  of  by  bearing 
himself  as  a  man  should ;  but  for  one  like  myself  't  is  but  time 
thrown  away.  Yet  I  say  not  that  it  may  not  be  useful  to 
Master  Oswald,  who  will  some  day  be  a  knight  and  go  to  court, 
and  have  occasion  to  write  letters  when  he  has  no  scribe  at 
hand  to  do  it  for  him ;  but  a  good  downright  blow  is  more 
advantage  to  the  man  that  strikes  it  than  all  the  book-learning 
that  he  can  get." 

"  I  have  done  well  enough  without  it,  Roger ;  but  I  think 
that  it  must  be  of  some  use,  else  why  is  it  that  Oswald  is  so 
good  at  devising  plans?  Had  I  been  in  his  place  when  he 
heard  the  news  of  the  harrying  of  Hiniltie,  and  the  carrying 
off  of  Armstrong's  daughters,  I  should  never  have  thought  of 
starting  on  such  an  adventure  as  he  did." 

"  It  may  be  that  it  may  improve  the  mind,  Master  Forster, 
just  as  wielding  a  mace  strengthens  the  muscles  of  the  arm. 
I  only  speak  from  my  own  experience,  and  so  far  as  I  can  see 
all  the  hours  I  spent  on  these  matters  have  been  as  good  as 
wasted." 

"  Nay,  Roger,"  Oswald,  who  had  been  an  amused  listener 
to  the  conversation,  broke  in,  "  you  have  had  evidence  but 
lately  that  it  is  not  so.  Had  you  not  been  able  to  read  the 
priest's  missal  he  would  have  seen  at  once  that  you  were  not 
a  monk ;  but  the  fact  that  you  did  so,  and  that  much  better 
and  more  fluently  than  he  could  himself  have  read  a  strange 
manuscript,  was  to  him  a  confirmation  of  your  story,  which 
not  only  enabled  us  to  rescue  my  cousins,  but  probably  saved 
your  own  skin,  to  say  nothing  of  mine,  for  had  Baird  learned 


ANOTHER   MISSION   TO   LUDLOW  253 

that  you  were  deceiving  him,  he  would  as  likely  as  not  have 
hung  us  both  over  the  gateway  of  his  hold  as  spies." 

Roger  scratched  his  head  in  some  embarrassment. 

"  I  cannot  gainsay  it,  Master  Oswald,  though  I  did  not  think 
of  it  before,  and  it  is  certainly  a  proof  that  the  time  I  spent  in 
learning  was  not  thrown  away ;  for,  as  you  say,  had  I  not  been 
able  to  read  that  missal,  doubtless  it  would  have  gone  hard 
with  both  of  us.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  when  I  am  wrong ; 
it  would  not  be  English  or  honest  not  to  do  so ;  reading  cer- 
tainly came  in  mightily  useful  there." 

"  And  you  must  also  remember,  Roger,"  Oswald  said  with 
a  smile,  "  that  if  it  had  not  been  that  you  read  and  wrote 
better  than  most  of  the  other  monks,  the  abbot  would  not 
have  picked  you  out  as  my  instructor,  I  should  not  have 
asked  for  you  to  come  with  me  to  Scotland,  and  Sir  Henry 
Percy  would  never  have  begged  the  abbot  to  allow  you  to  go 
forth  into  the  world." 

"  Say  no  more,  Master  Oswald ;  never  again  will  I  say  a 
word  against  reading  and  writing  —  I  see  that  they  are  excel- 
lent things,  and  it  never  entered  my  thick  head  how  greatly 
I  have  benefited  by  acquiring  them  —  but  will  maintain,  against 
all  who  say  the  contrary,  that  they  are  of  great  value,  and  that 
they  in  no  way  tend  to  soften  a  man,  as  I  can  prove  in  my 
own  person  and  also  in  yours." 

At  this  moment  Mary  Forster  appeared  at  the  top  of  the 
steps.  "  Supper  is  ready,"  she  said.  "  I  have  broken  the 
news  to  the  girls ;  they  are  quite  broken-hearted,  poor  things, 
and  I  have  sent  them  to  bed.  I  suppose  you  are  not  leaving 
us  to-morrow  morning,  Oswald?" 

"  No,  I  shall  be  off  at  daybreak  the  next  day.  I  must  not 
stay  longer,  for  I  ought  to  have  been  back  three  days  ago,  and 
Sir  Henry  will  be  wondering  what  has  befallen  me." 

Talking  the  matter  over  that  evening  as  to  what  had  best 


254:  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

be  done  with  the  girls,  Mary  Forster  said  that  they  had 
expressed  great  anxiety  to  get  back  as  soon  as  they  could, 
in  order  that  they  might  try  and  comfort  their  father  and 
nurse  Allan ;  and  John  Forster  said  that  he  would  ride  with 
them  with  four  of  his  men  to  Hiniltie  in  a  day  or  two.  The 
next  evening,  however,  there  was  a  knock  at  the  outside  gate, 
and  on  its  being  opened  Adam  Armstrong  himself  entered. 

"  I  could  not  rest  for  thinking  of  the  girls,"  he  said,  as  he 
entered  the  house.  "  The  man  arrived  safely  yesterday  morn- 
ing, after  having,  with  great  difficulty,  made  his  way  unobserved 
through  the  Bairds,  who  had  some  fifty  or  sixty  men  scattered 
all  over  the  hills." 

"  Do  you  go  to  them,  wife,  and  tell  them  that  their  father 
has  arrived.  They  have  been  terribly  upset,"  John  went  on  as 
his  wife  left  the  room  ;  "  they  were  only  told  of  the  loss  of  their 
mother  after  they  arrived  yesterday.  Oswald  thought  that 
they  would  need  all  their  strength  for  the  journey,  and  that 
it  were  better  that  Mary  should  break  the  news  to  them  when 
they  got  here.  We  have  all  felt  for  you  sorely,  Adam,  since 
your  messenger  brought  the  news." 

Armstrong  pressed  his  hand  silently.  "  She  was  a  good  wife 
to  me,  John,  a  right  good  wife.  We  buried  what  seemed  to 
be  her  remains  yesterday  morning.  It  was  that  that  kept  me 
from  starting  the  moment  the  man  came  in  with  the  news  that 
Oswald  had  got  the  girls  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Bairds." 

"And  how  is  Allan?" 

"  I  trust  he  will  get  right  now ;  he  has  come  partly  to  his 
senses,  though  he  is  still  dazed.  We  had  him  carried  in  a 
litter  to  the  monastery  where  I  obtained  the  monk's  robe  for 
your  man,  for  I  feared  to  leave  him  in  the  village  lest  the 
Bairds,  furious  at  the  escape  of  the  girls,  might  return  to  finish 
their  work." 

He  was  about  to  speak  to  Oswald  when  the  door  opened 


ANOTHER   MISSION   TO    LUDLOW  255 

and  the  girls  ran  in,  and  it  was  some  time  before  Adam  Arm- 
strong again  turned  to  him. 

"  Now,  lad,"  he  said,  "  do  not  think  because  I  am  a  long 
time  coming  to  the  point  that  I  think  lightly  of  the  service 
you  have  rendered  me.  Ah,  lad  !  I  could  scarce  believe  my 
ears  when  Fergus  told  me  that  you  and  your  henchman  had 
got  the  lasses  out  of  the  Bairds'  hands,  and  had  gone  off  on 
horseback  with  them.  I  had  to  put  the  question  again  and 
again  as  to  whether  he  was  sure  that  it  was  really  the  girls  you 
had  with  you.  It  seemed  to  me  to  be  altogether  impossible ; 
but  I  had  to  believe  him  at  last,  though  how  it  came  about  he 
could  not  tell  me." 

"  We  had  no  time  for  talking,"  Oswald  said  ;  "  every  moment 
was  of  importance.  But  the  matter  was  simple  enough  and 
worth  but  a  few  words'  telling."  And  he  then  related  the 
manner  in  which  he  and  Roger  had  obtained  entrance  to  the 
hold,  and  had  succeeded  in  getting  the  girls  away. 

"  It  sounds  simple  enough  in  the  telling,"  Armstrong  said ; 
"  but  it  needed  stout  hearts  and  good  nerves  to  enter  the 
Bairds'  den  on  such  an  errand.  You  carried  your  lives  in  your 
hands,  and  well  must  you  have  borne  out  your  story  to  have 
passed  without  suspicion.  It  was  well  thought  of  indeed,  and 
well  carried  out,  and  would  have  done  credit  to  the  boldest 
and  craftiest  leader  on  the  border.     What  say  you,  John?" 

"  I  am  proud  of  him,  Adam.  As  for  myself,  I  should  never 
have  thought  of  such  a  plan.  If  I  had  had  the  matter  in  hand 
I  might  have  taken  twenty  stout  fellows  and  tried  to  scale  the 
walls  unseen,  and  to  fall  upon  them  with  spear  and  sword,  and 
in  the  confusion  carry  the  girls  off;  but  it  would  have  been  a 
desperate  plan  with  but  small  hope  of  success." 

"  Small  indeed,  John,  small  indeed,"  Armstrong  said,  shak- 
ing his  head.  "With  prisoners  in  the  hold  the  Bairds  were  not 
likely  to  be  caught  sleeping,  and  had  they  been,  accustomed  to 


25G  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

surprises  as  they  are,  the  whole  garrison  would  have  been  afoot 
in  a  minute,  and  not  a  man  of  ye  would  have  lived  to  tell  the 
story.  Some  such  mad  thought  passed  through  my  brain  when 
I  first  heard  the  news,  but  it  was  not  for  long.  Even  with 
your  spears  and  others  you  might  gather,  and  all  my  friends  in 
Tweeddale,  we  should  have  had  but  a  small  chance  of  captur- 
ing the  Bairds'  hold.  We  should  have  had  all  Annandale  and 
Nithsdale  down  on  us  before  we  could  have  done  it.  At  any 
rate  we  should  have  had  to  bide  our  time,  and  wait  until 
the  Bairds  were  away  to  England  with  all  their  dalesmen ; 
and  by  that  time  none  could  say  what  would  have  become  of 
the  girls.  In  fact  there  was  but  one  way  of  doing  it,  and  that 
is  the  way  Oswald  hit  upon.  Well,  lad,  I  fear  I  shall  never 
have  an  opportunity  of  repaying  the  debt  I  owe  you  ;  but  after 
this  there  is  not  an  Armstrong  on  the  border,  on  our  side  or 
yours  —  for  we  are  half  English  and  half  Scotch  —  but  will  hold 
you  as  among  our  closest  of  kin,  and  will  give  you  welcome 
and  aid  whensoever  you  may  need  it.  And  where  is  your 
man  Roger?" 

"  I  will  call  him,"  Oswald  said,  and,  stepping  to  the  door,  he 
shouted  to  his  follower,  who  came  out  at  once  from  one  of  the 
outhouses  occupied  by  the  retainers  of  the  hold. 

"  Come  up,  Roger  !  "  Oswald  said ;  "  Master  Armstrong 
wishes  to  see  you." 

Roger  came  up,  and  as  he  entered  Adam  grasped  him  by  the 
hand.  "  Whenever  your  time  for  fighting  is  over,  my  brave 
fellow,  remember  that  there  is  a  home  for  you  at  Hiniltie  so 
long  as  an  Armstrong  dwells  there.  I  thought  when  I  fetched 
that  monk's  gown  for  you  that  you  and  my  nephew  Oswald 
might  be  able  to  gather  some  news,  and  let  me  know  possibly 
how  the  girls  were  faring,  but  little  did  I  think  that  alone 
and  unaided  you  would  rescue  them  from  the  hands  of  the 
Bairds." 


ANOTHER   MISSION    TO    LUDLOW  257 

"  It  was  a  merry  business,  Master  Armstrong,  and  pleased 
me  hugely,  save  that  it  went  against  my  heart  to  have  this 
bald  patch  on  my  head  again  just  when  the  hair  had  so  well 
grown  and  covered  it ;  but  it  was  well-nigh  as  good  as  fighting 
to  trick  the  Bairds  in  their  own  hold,  when  they,  as  they 
thought,  were  so  mightily  sure  that  I  was  but  a  harmless 
brother  of  a  monastery.  For  the  rest  it  was  an  easy  business, 
and  scarce  worth  talking  of." 

"  It  was  done  easily  because  it  was  done  well,  Roger  ;  it  was 
well  planned  and  well  carried  out." 

"  I  had  nought  to  do  with  the  planning,  and  the  carrying 
out  was  simple  enough.  There  were  those  there  who  tested 
me  as  to  my  knowledge  of  Dunbar,  and  of  the  monastery  I 
came  from,  and  who  further  tested  my  knowledge  of  reading. 
Once  assured  that  my  story  was  true  they  paid  no  further 
attention  to  me,  believing  that  I  should  stay  but  a  day  or  two 
to  rest  myself  on  my  way  south." 

"  You  had  occasion,  however,  to  use  that  heavy  staff  you 
carried." 

"  Some  slight  occasion,  but  I  would  that  I  had  had  the 
chance  to  have  used  it  on  the  heads  of  some  of  the  Bairds. 
For  what  little  I  did,  Master  Armstrong,  your  daughters  thanked 
me  very  prettily  and  more  than  enough,  and  therefore,  I  pray 
thee,  say  no  more  of  it.     And  how  is  your  son?  " 

"  He  is  going  on  well,  and  both  Meg  Margetson  and  the 
monks,  in  whose  hands  I  have  put  him,  say  that  they  hope 
he  is  out  of  danger." 

The  next  morning  Oswald  and  Roger  mounted  soon  after 
daybreak  and  rode  to  Alnwick.  It  had  the  night  before  been 
arranged  that  the  girls  should,  for  the  present,  remain  at  Yard- 
hope  until  the  hold  at  Hiniltie  was  repaired  and  put  in  a  state 
of  stronger  defence.  It  was  agreed,  too,  that  it  was  as  well 
that  no  word  should  be  said  by  Armstrong  on  his  return  as 

»7 


258  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

to  the  whereabouts  of  his  daughters,  as  the  Baircls  might  then, 
in  their  anger,  make  an  attack  on  Yardhope ;  whereas  at 
present  they  could  have  no  reason  whatever  for  suspecting 
that  they  were  there,  and,  if  they  obtained  news  that  they  were 
not  with  their  father  at  Hiniltie,  would  suppose  that  they  had 
been  lodged  with  some  of  the  family  elsewhere,  or  perhaps 
placed  for  safety  in  Jedburgh. 

"  I  had  wondered  what  had  become  of  you,"  Hotspur  said 
when  Oswald  entered  his  apartments  to  report  his  return.  "  I 
expected  you  two  or  three  days  since,  and  I  indeed  wanted 
you  for  other  business." 

"  I  am  sorry,  my  lord ;  but  after  having  fulfilled  the  orders 
you  gave  me  to  the  governors  of  Roxburgh  and  Jedburgh  I 
became  engaged  in  an  affair  of  my  uncle,  Adam  Armstrong, 
of  so  pressing  a  character  that  I  deemed  you  would  excuse 
me  when  you  heard  its  nature."  And  he  then  briefly  related 
how  he  had  been  occupied  since  leaving  Jedburgh. 

"  'T  is  a  good  excuse  indeed,"  Hotspur,  said,  "  and  you  must 
tell  me  more  of  it  this  evening,  when  the  earl  and  my  wife  can 
also  hear  it.  As  to  the  business  I  spoke  of,  it  is  of  no  conse- 
quence at  all ;  it  was  but  to  carry  a  message  to  the  Earl  of 
Westmoreland.     This  I  have  now  sent  by  another  hand." 

The  winter  passed  quietly.  Oswald's  work  was  light.  He 
more  than  once  rode  home  for  a  few  days,  and  once  paid  a 
visit  to  Hiniltie.  Here  a  number  of  men  were  at  work.  The 
exterior  walls  had  in  no  way  suffered,  and  the  shell  of  the 
central  building  had  so  far  resisted  the  fire  that  it  was  not 
necessary  to  rebuild  it.  The  roof  and  floors  had  been  replaced 
and  the  defences  considerably  strengthened.  A  portcullis  had 
been  placed  above  the  door,  so  that  in  case  of  the  outer  wall 
being  carried  or  the  gate  forced  it  could  at  once  be  lowered. 
A  projecting  battlement  had  been  thrown  out  over  this,  with 
openings  below  through  which  boiling  lead  and  pitch  could  be 


ANOTHER   MISSION   TO    LUDLOW  259 

poured  on  an  enemy  trying  to  break  in.  Flanking  turrets  for 
archers  had  been  built  at  each  corner  of  the  house,  and  the 
exterior  walls  had  been  strengthened  by  towers  in  the  centre 
of  each  face  and  on  either  side  of  the  gateway. 

"  We  shall  be  safe  now,  I  think,  Oswald,"  said  Allan,  who 
had  almost  recovered.  "  The  place  can  hardly  be  taken  by  a 
sudden  attack,  even  by  all  the  forces  the  Bairds  could  bring 
against  it,  and  we  could  get  help  from  Jedburgh  long  before 
they  could  gain  even  the  outside  wall.  My  father  and  I  are 
going  in  a  fortnight  to  fetch  the  girls.  I  rode  over  there  a 
week  or  two  since,  and  found  them  looking  very  well  and 
happy  with  your  people  ;  but  of  course  they  are  anxious  to  get 
back  again,  especially  as  you  are  so  seldom  at  home." 

"  If  you  will  fix  the  day  before  I  go,  I  will  try  to  be  there  to 
meet  you.  I  suppose,  as  soon  as  spring  sets  in  fairly,  we  shall 
be  having  troubles  again,  and  it  is  certainly  as  well  that  Janet 
and  Jessie  should  be  at  home  again  before  they  begin ;  for  al- 
though Yardhope  is  strong  enough  to  resist  any  attack  by  the 
Bairds,  or  any  other  border  rangers,  it  can  scarcely  hold  out 
against  a  regular  invasion." 

Four  days  after  his  return  to  Alnwick,  Oswald  was  sent  for 
by  Percy. 

"  The  Scots  do  not  seem  to  be  moving  yet,"  the  latter  said, 
"  but  Glendower  is  ever  increasing  in  strength  and  boldness. 
I  have  received  startling  news  this  morning.  A  party  of 
Welshmen  were  seen  near  Ruthyn,  and  Earl  Grey  with  a  body 
of  mounted  men  rode  out  against  them.  They  retired  at  once, 
and  he,  briskly  pursuing,  fell  into  an  ambush  and  was  captured. 
T  would  have  been  thought  that  Glendower  would  have  put 
his  chief  enemy  to  death  at  once,  but  it  was  not  so,  and  it  is 
said  he  holds  the  earl  to  ransom.  Glendower  has  plenty  of 
men,  but  no  doubt  needs  money  sorely.  He  can  draw  no 
revenue  from  his  estates  in  Denbigh,  and  those  in  South  Wales 


260  BOTH    SIDES    THE    BORDER 

cannot  suffice  for  the  expenses  of  feeding  the  body  of  men 
always  under  arms.  Doubtless  he  will  ask  for  a  great  sum  and 
't  is  like  that  he  will  get  it.  Grey  is  a  favourite  of  the  king, 
and  the  latter  will  doubtless  aid  him,  for  he  needs  his  services 
to  hold  Flint  and  Denbighshire  against  the  Welsh.  Moreover, 
methinks  that  the  king  would,  for  another  reason,  make  every 
effort  to  buy  Lord  Grey's  freedom,  for  it  is  no  secret  that  he 
has  no  great  love  for  Mortimer ;  for  although  he  holds  the 
young  Earl  of  March  a  prisoner  at  Windsor,  he  cannot  forget 
that  the  lad  is  the  rightful  heir  to  the  throne,  and  that  the 
friends  of  Richard  would  place  him  there  had  they  the  oppor- 
tunity. Mortimer  is  the  boy's  uncle,  and,  not  only  from  his 
own  estates,  but  as  guardian  of  the  young  earl's  wide  posses- 
sions in  Hereford  and  in  Shropshire,  is  a  very  powerful 
noble. 

"  The  king  has  no  real  reason  for  doubting  him,  for  I  know 
that  Mortimer  has  no  thought  of  supporting  the  Earl  of  March's 
claim  to  the  throne,  having  held  with  the  rest  of  the  kingdom 
that  Henry,  who  is  wise  and  politic,  is  a  far  fitter  ruler  than  the 
lad  could  be.  Doubtless  Henry  is  well  aware  of  this,  but  he  sees 
that  when  the  young  earl  grows  to  manhood  he  might  become 
dangerous  and  might  supplant  him,  as  he  supplanted  Richard. 
Thus,  then,  I  have  no  doubt  the  king  will  use  every  effort  to 
obtain  the  release  of  Lord  Grey,  in  order  that  he  may  act  as  a 
counterpoise  in  the  Welsh  marches  to  the  influence  of  Mortimer. 
However,  that  is  not  now  the  question.  It  is  evident  by  this 
daring  deed  of  Glendower  that  he  will  be  busy  this  year,  and 
the  success  of  his  first  attempt  will  assuredly  add  to  his  follow- 
ing. Therefore,  as  the  Scots  are  at  present  quiet,  I  would  that 
you  ride  again  to  Ludlow,  and  sojourn  there  a  while. 

"  Sir  Edmund  sends  me  but  scant  news,  and  I  would  fain 
know  more  closely  how  matters  are  going  there,  and  how  great 
this  insurrection  is  like   to  grow.     It  may  well  be   that  the 


ANOTHER   MISSION   TO    LUDLOW  261 

Scots,  seeing  how  powerful  Glendower  is  becoming  will  enter 
into  agreement  with  him,  that  while  he  invades  the  west  coun- 
try, they  shall  pour  across  the  border  with  all  their  forces,  in 
which  case  we  should  be  hard  pressed,  for  the  king's  power  in 
the  south  might  be  fully  engaged  against  the  Welsh,  and  we 
should  have  to  battle  with  the  whole  strength  of  Scotland  alone. 
Therefore  write  at  length,  giving  me  full  reports  of  the  talk  of 
the  country  as  to  the  bearing  of  the  Welsh,  not  only  beyond 
the  border,  but  those  settled  in  the  west  counties.  You  will,  of 
course,  take  the  fighting  monk  with  you,  and  he  can  aid  you  in 
this  matter,  being  a  good  scholar  though  a  bad  monk  ;  so  when 
you  are  weary  of  holding  the  pen,  you  can  dictate  the  matter 
to  him.  I  will  send  two  well-mounted  couriers  with  you,  and 
will  have  relays  of  horses  placed  on  the  road,  so  that  you  can 
despatch  me  a  letter  once  a  week,  and  they  will  also  of  course 
carry  any  letters  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer  may  wish  to  send." 

"  Very  well,  Sir  Henry.     Shall  I  start  to-day?  " 

"  Nay,  the  matter  is  not  so  urgent  as  all  that." 

"  Then  I  will  ride  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Good.  I  am  well  pleased  with  you,  Oswald.  That  affair 
in  which  you  rescued  your  cousins  showed  that  you  have 
discretion  and  ability  as  well  as  skill  and  courage,  and  you  see 
the  knowledge  that  you  gained  at  the  monastery  is  coming  in 
useful  to  you  now.  As  a  mark  of  my  approbation,  I  will  order 
that  one  of  my  war-horses  shall  be  saddled  and  be  in  readiness 
for  you  in  the  morning.  The  steed  that  Mortimer  gave  you  is 
a  good  one,  but  you  have  need  of  another,  for  one  may  fall 
lame  or  be  killed  or  wounded,  and  't  is  well  to  have  a  second 
string  to  the  bow.  Moreover,  riding  as  you  do  in  my  service, 
't  is  but  meet  that  I  should  provide  you  with  horseflesh.  I 
marked  you  on  your  horse  to-day,  the  one  you  rode  when  you 
came  here,  and  in  truth  you  have  outgrown  it  altogether,  and 
though  I  doubt  not  that  the  sturdy  little  benst  wpuld  even  yet 


262  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

carry  you  for  a  long  day's  journey,  't  is  scarce  in  accordance 
with  your  position  as  our  representative." 

Oswald  thanked  Hotspur  heartily  for  the  gift,  for  he  himself 
had  felt  that  he  needed  a  second  charger,  but  had  been  re- 
luctant to  ask  his  father  for  the  money  required  to  buy  one, 
for  the  expenses  of  repairing  the  hold  after  the  last  Scotch 
invasion  had  been  heavy,  and  gold  was  a  scarce  commodity  at 
Yardhope.  He  started  at  daybreak  the  next  morning,  riding 
the  fine  horse  Hotspur  had  given  him.  Roger  rode  behind 
him,  and  was  followed  by  the  two  lightly-armed  men  who  were 
to  act  as  messengers.  One  of  these  led  Oswald's  second  horse. 
As  soon  as  they  had  left  the  castle,  Oswald  called  Roger  up  to 
his  side. 

"  Well,  Roger,  I  dare  say  you  are  as  pleased  as  I  am  that 
we  are  on  the  move  again.  'T  is  nigh  five  months  since  we 
returned  from  Ludlow,  and  save  for  our  adventure  with  the 
Bairds  we  have  had  a  quiet  time  since." 

"  Think  you  there  will  be  work  with  the  Welsh  again, 
master  ?  " 

"  I  think  so  indeed,  Roger.  They  say  that  Glendower's 
forces  are  greatly  increasing,  and  he  has  captured  Lord  Grey 
and  holds  him  to  ransom.  The  king  must  regret  now  that  Par- 
liament refused  to  listen  to  Glendower's  complaints  because  he 
had  been  one  of  Richard's  men,  and  had  perhaps  spoken  more 
hotly  than  was  prudent  touching  the  king's  murder." 

"  But  they  say  that  Richard  is  still  alive,  and  that  he  is  with 
the  Scots." 

"They  may  say  so,  Roger,  but  think  you  that  it  is  likely? 
The  king's  figure  was  well  known  to  hundreds  of  men.  Why 
does  he  not  show  himself?  Even  in  Scotland  there  are  many 
nobles  who,  during  the  truces  between  the  kingdoms,  have 
been  to  London,  and  have  known  King  Richard,  and  had  this 
man  been  he,  they  would  have  recognised  him  at  once.    Be- 


ANOTHER   MISSION   TO   LUDLOW  263 

sides,  think  you  that  when  the  king  had  Richard  caged  in  Pom- 
fret  there  was  any  chance  of  his  getting  free  again?  It  may 
suit  Albany  at  present  to  set  up  some  puppet  or  other  in  order 
to  cause  uneasiness  to  Henry,  and  to  render  Richard's  friends 
here  unwilling  to  obey  the  orders  of  the  king,  and  to  take  the 
field  against  the  Scots ;  but  had  he  been  Richard,  't  is  not  in 
Scotland  that  he  would  have  shown  himself,  but  in  France, 
where  he  would  gladly  have  been  received  as  Anne  of  Bo- 
hemia's husband,  and  would  have  had  aid  and  support  to  urge 
his  claims." 

"  Well,  master,  I  care  not  what  takes  us  to  Wales.  At  any 
rate,  I  am  glad  to  journey  thither,  for  it  seems  at  present  as  if 
there  only  is  there  a  chance  of  giving  and  taking  hard  knocks. 
How  is  it  that  you  do  not  take  a  party  of  men-at-arms,  as  you 
did  last  time?" 

"  Mortimer  has  plenty  of  men  without  them,  and  the  hand- 
ful that  Percy  can  spare  would  be  of  little  use.  I  am  going 
principally  because  Hotspur  is  anxious  to  be  kept  well  in- 
formed of  what  happens  in  the  west,  for  he  feels  sure  that  if 
Glendower's  power  increases  it  will  be  needful  to  send  a  strong 
English  army  there.  The  Scots  will  make  a  great  invasion, 
and  it  will  behove  all  the  northern  counties  and  lords  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness." 

They  travelled  fast,  and  in  five  days  after  leaving  Alnwick 
Arrived  at  Ludlow. 

"  Welcome  back  again,  Master  Oswald  !  "  Sir  Edmund  said 
Then  he  arrived.  "  I  thought  that  maybe  Sir  Henry  Percy 
Vould  send  you  hither.  Matters  here  are  becoming  serious, 
and  't  is  said  that  there  have  been  Scotch  emissaries  with  Glen- 
dower,  though  for  the  truth  of  this  I  cannot  answer  ;  but  Percy 
wffl  certainly  wish  to  know  well  what  passes  in  the  west,  and 
I  am  but  a  poor  hand  with  the  pen,  and,  moreover,  too 
much  busied  to  write  often.     He  knows  that  right  well,  and 


264  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

I  doubt  not  you  are  instructed  to  inform  him  of  all  that 
passes." 

"  You  are  right,  Sir  Edmund  !  it  is  for  that  purpose  that  he 
has  sent  me  hither,  charging  me  to  write  to  him  frequently 
as  to  the  situation  and  the  power  of  Glendower,  which  must 
needs  be  on  the  increase,  since  nought  has  been  done  to  bring 
him  to  reason.  And  I  have  also  his  commands  to  place  myself 
at  your  service,  and  to  obey  you  in  all  respects  as  if  I  had 
been  your  squire." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  for  you  to  ride  with  my  knights,"  Sir 
Edmund  replied  courteously.  "  I  have  not  forgotten  that  you 
did  good  service  last  year,  and  trust  that  you  may  find  oppor- 
tunity for  winning  your  spurs." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  indeed  to  do  so,  Sir  Edmund.  May  I  ask 
where  Glendower  is  supposed  to  be  at  present?" 

"  He  has  his  head-quarters  on  the  summit  of  Plinlimmon, 
a  great  hill  on  the  borders  of  Montgomery,  and  thence  ravages 
and  plunders  all  the  country  round  him,  slaying  all  who  are 
supposed  to  be  attached  to  the  English  cause.  Unfortunately 
he  meets  with  but  little  resistance,  for  the  castles  have  for  the 
most  part  been  suffered  to  get  into  a  bad  state,  since  for  a  hun- 
dred years  it  has  seemed  that  they  would  no  longer  be  required 
against  the  Welsh,  who  appeared  to  have  become  as  peaceful 
as  the  people  in  our  own  counties.  Many  of  the  knights 
have  built  themselves  more  convenient  houses,  and  have  let 
the  castles  become  almost  ruins.  Then,  too,  the  garrisons, 
where  garrisons  are  kept,  are  for  the  most  part  composed 
of  Welshmen.  These  can  be  no  longer  trusted,  and  it  is  no 
easy  matter  to  obtain  Englishmen  in  their  places,  for  so  great 
is  the  terror  caused  by  the  slaughter  by  Glendower  of  those 
who  fall  into  his  hands,  that  few  even  of  adventurous  spirit 
would  at  present  care  to  leave  their  homes  beyond  the  Severn 
to  take  up  such  desperate  service.     Glendower's  movements 


I    AM    WELL    PLEASED    WITH    VOL',    OSWALD.' 


ANOTHER    MISSION    TO    LUDLOW  265 

are  so  rapid  that  there  is  no  notice  of  his  coming,  and  it  is  not 
until  he  and  his  band  suddenly  appear,  burning  and  slaughter- 
ing, that  any  know  of  his  approach." 

"  Surely  it  must  be  difficult  to  victual  so  large  a  force  on  the 
summit  of  a  mountain?" 

"  It  would  assuredly  be  so,  only  he  keeps  but  a  hundred  and 
fifty  chosen  men  with  him.  But,  were  his  beacon  fires  to  be 
lighted,  there  would  in  a  few  hours  be  ten  thousand  men  on 
the  mountain.  Then  again,  as  the  whole  population  are  with 
him,  were  I  to  start  with  five  hundred  men  from  here,  the 
news  would  reach  him  by  means  of  smokes  on  the  hills  before 
I  had  marched  five  miles  away.  T  is  a  warfare  in  which  there 
is  no  credit  to  be  gained  and  much  loss  to  be  sustained,  and  I 
see  not  that  with  anything  less  than  an  army  large  enough  to 
march  through  Wales  from  end  to  end,  burning  the  towns  and 
villages,  and  putting  to  the  sword  all  who  resist,  the  affair  can 
be  brought  to  an  end. 

"  It  was  only  thus  that  Harold  brought  Wales  to  reason, 
and  that  so  strongly  that  it  was  two  generations  ere  they 
ventured  again  to  cross  the  border.  It  was  so  that  Edward 
finally  stamped  out  their  rebellions,  and  methinks  that  the 
work  will  have  to  be  done  again  in  the  same  manner.  So  far 
from  doing  good,  the  king's  invasion  last  autumn  has  but 
encouraged  them,  for,  though  so  numerous,  his  army  effected 
nothing,  and  showed  the  Welsh  how  powerless  the  troops  were 
to  enter  the  mountains  or  to  take  the  offensive  anywhere  save 
on  level  ground." 

Oswald's  life  at  Ludlow  differed  in  no  way  from  that  at 
Alnwick.  He  took  his  meals  at  the  high  table,  sitting  below 
the  knights  with  Sir  Edmund's  squires.  He  practised,  arms 
with  them,  tilted  in  the  court-yard  of  the  castle,  occasionally 
rode  out  hunting  and  hawking  with  a  party  of  knights  and 
ladies,  helped  to  drill  the  bodies  of  tenants  who,  a  hundred  at 


266  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

a  time,  came  in  to  swell  the  garrison.  Sometimes  he  carried 
Mortimer's  orders  to  the  governors  of  the  castles,  or  rode  with 
a  strong  party  into  Hereford  or  Radnor.  A  short  time  after 
his  arrival  Montgomery  was  taken  by  storm  by  Glendower, 
and  all  Englishmen  and  Welshmen  suspected  of  friendship  for 
the  English  slain.  Shortly  afterwards  the  suburbs  of  Welsh- 
pool were  burnt  by  him,  to  the  great  loss  of  the  Earl  of  Powys, 
whose  annoyance  was  all  the  greater  since  most  of  his  own 
tenants  were  under  arms  with  Glendower.  Following  hard 
upon  these  pieces  of  bad  news  came  word  that  he  had  fallen 
upon  the  Abbey  of  Cwmhir,  six  miles  from  Rhayader,  in  Rad- 
norshire, which  he  entirely  destroyed.  The  news  caused  great 
indignation,  and  the  reason  for  this  sacrilegious  act  was  warmly 
discussed  at  the  castle. 

"The  reason,  methinks,"  Sir  Edmund  said  after  he  had 
listened  to  the  knights  for  some  time,  "  is  twofold.  In  the 
first  place  the  ecclesiastics  for  the  most  part,  and  the  monks 
of  all  the  orders  save  the  Franciscans,  favoured  King  Henry 
against  Richard  ;  but  the  chief  reason  is  the  long  animosity 
between  the  Church  and  the  Bards,  of  whom  Glendower  is  a 
great  patron,  and  who  have  done  him  great  service  by  stirring 
up  the  people  with  their  songs.  The  bards  have  ever  been 
foremost  in  instigating  insurrections  in  Wales.  Edward  I. 
attempted  to  suppress  them  altogether,  and  his  edict  for  exe- 
cuting them  by  martial  law  is  still  unrepealed,  and  they  dare 
not  venture  to  show  themselves  in  any  castle  or  town  held  by 
us.  But  they  have  to  a  man  rallied  round  Glendower.  His 
house  was  always  open  to  them,  and  he  was  even  distinguished 
by  some  Welsh  name  meaning  the  protector  of  the  bards. 
Now,  after  being  hunted  fugitives  for  so  many  years,  they 
have  no  doubt  used  their  influence  with  him  to  stir  him  up 
against  the  religious  houses." 

But  a  heavier  blow  still  was  struck  by  Glendower,  and  the 


ANOTHER    MISSION   TO    LUDLOW  267 

feeling  at  Ludlow  was  nothing  short  of  consternation  when 
a  fugitive  arrived  from  the  town  of  New  Radnor,  saying  that 
the  strong  castle  there  had  been  carried  by  assault,  the  garri- 
son of  threescore  men  all  beheaded,  and  the  town  laid  in  ashes. 
This  was  the  heaviest  blow  yet  struck  by  Glendower.  The 
castle  was  of  great  strength,  and  the  town  had  been  walled  by 
the  Lords  of  the  Marches.  That  such  a  place  should  have 
been  carried  by  Welsh  kerns  seemed  well-nigh  incredible,  and 
the  execution  of  the  whole  of  the  garrison  aroused  the  most 
lively  indignation. 

"  This  is  war  to  the  knife  indeed,"  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer 
said ;  "  and  yet,  abhorrent  as  is  this  wholesale  murder  of  the 
garrison,  I  cannot  but  own  that  it  is  a  politic  step  on  the  part 
of  Glendower.  The  news  will  spread  throughout  Wales,  and 
if  so  strong  a  place  as  New  Radnor  could  not  defend  itself, 
how  can  lesser  castles  hope  to  do  so  ?  —  nor,  indeed,  will  gar- 
risons care  to  man  the  walls,  since  resistance  means  death. 
Doubtless  there  were  many  Welsh  among  those  men  who  were 
murdered,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  their  compatriots  in  other 
castles  will  hasten  to  desert  and  join  Glendower." 

This  indeed  proved  to  be  the  case,  the  garrisons  of  the 
castles  dwindled  away,  and  hold  after  hold  fell  without  resist- 
ance. Even  in  Ludlow  every  precaution  was  taken ;  all 
Welshmen  were  expelled  from  the  town,  and  the  garrison  was 
also  purged  of  them,  although  some  of  the  men-at-arms  had 
served  for  many  years.  These  men  were  told  that  after  the 
troubles  were  over  they  should  again  be  taken  into  the  service 
if  they  chose,  but  that  in  the  present  state  of  things  one  traitor 
might  endanger  the  safety  of  the  castle  and  town ;  and  that  as 
it  was  impossible  to  tell  who  were  true  men  and  who  had 
been  corrupted  by  Glendower's  agents,  it  was  necessary  that 
all  should  suffer,  even  if  innocent.  Among  the  tenants  of 
Mortimer's  estate  and   those   of  the   young  earl  were   many 


208  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

Welsh.  Against  them  no  measures  were  taken.  They  and 
their  fathers,  sometimes  indeed  three  generations  of  them,  had 
lived  peaceably,  and  had  rendered  military  service  when  re- 
quired in  the  troubles  of  England,  and  Mortimer  was  reluctant 
to  treat  them  harshly,  especially  as  all  declared  their  readiness 
to  serve  and  prove  their  devotion  to  their  English  lord. 

"They  are  not  sufficiently  numerous,"  he  said,  "to  be  a 
source  of  any  danger.  Were  Glendower  to  invade  England  in 
great  force  doubtless  they  would  join  him  to  save  their  lives 
and  those  of  their  families,  but  being  but  one  to  four  or  five 
of  the  English  tenants  I  see  not  that  they  can  be  a  source  of 
danger  to  us." 


CHAPTER   XVI 

A   LETTER   FOR   THE    KING 

A  LARGE  number  of  Flemings  had  settled  in  Wales,  having 
left  their  own  country  in  consequence  of  the  constant 
troubles  there,  and  many  of  these  had  set  up  cloth-mills  at 
Welshpool  and  other  places.  Having  suffered  great  destruction 
of  property  at  the  hands  of  Glendower,  and  seeing  no  hope  of 
the  insurrection  being  put  down  by  the  English,  they  resolved 
to  take  the  matter  into  their  own  hands.  Fifteen  hundred  of 
them  gathered  secretly  and  surrounded  Glendower  in  one  of  his 
mountain  intrenchments.  He  repulsed  their  attacks,  but  the 
situation  was  desperate ;  provisions  ran  short ;  he  was  unable 
to  summon  help,  and  at  last  determined  with  his  little  body 
of  followers  to  endeavour  to  cut  his  way  out  through  the 
besiegers. 

The  attack  was  sudden  and  fierce.     The   Flemings,  who, 


A   LETTER    FOR   THE   KING  269 

knowing  the  smallness  of  his  force,  had  made  no  preparations 
to  repel  an  attack,  were  seized  with  a  panic  at  the  fierce  ap- 
pearance and  the  wild  cries  of  the  Welsh,  who  fell  upon  them 
with  such  fury  that  two  hundred  of  the  Flemings  were  slain, 
and  the  Welsh  cut  their  way  through  the  beleaguering  line. 
The  news  of  this  feat  was  received  with  immense  enthusiasm 
throughout  the  principality,  great  numbers  flocked  to  Glen- 
dower's  standard,  the  bards  sung  songs  of  his  victory  at  every 
village  in  Wales,  and  so  formidable  did  his  position  become 
that  the  Lords  of  the  Marches  wrote  to  the  king,  saying  that  the 
matter  had  gone  altogether  beyond  them,  and  that  his  presence 
with  an  army  was  urgently  needed.  Even  in  Ludlow  extra 
sentries  were  placed  upon  the  walls,  the  garrison  was  kept  in 
a  constant  state  of  vigilance,  and  mounted  men  were  stationed 
miles  out  to  bring  in  the  news  of  the  approach  of  any  hostile 
force. 

"  'T  is  a  thousand  pities,"  Sir  Edmund  said,  when  the  news 
of  the  defeat  of  the  Flemings  reached  him,  "  that  these  fellows 
did  not  send  news  to  me  a  day  or  two  before  they  undertook 
this  business,  for  in  that  case  I  would  have  myself  headed  a 
force  of  a  couple  of  hundred  of  my  best  men-at-arms,  and 
joined  them  at  some  spot  in  the  mountains,  and  had  we  been 
there  you  may  be  sure  that  Glendower  would  never  have 
fought  his  way  out.  The  Flemings  are  doubtless  stout  fighters, 
as  they  have  proved  over  and  over  again  in  their  own  country, 
but  they  are  all  unused  to  mountain  warfare,  or  to  fight  with 
wild  men,  and  were  doubtless  scared  by  the  shrill  cries  with 
which  the  Welsh  always  advance  to  battle.  Doubtless,  too, 
these  men  Glendower  keeps  with  him  are  his  best  fighters,  and 
they  knew  that  if  they  did  not  succeed  in  making  their  way 
out  no  mercy  would  be  shown  to  them,  seeing  that  they  have 
shown  none  themselves.  Had  the  battle  been  on  a  plain  I 
doubt  nut  that  the  Flemings  would  have  stood  against  many 


270  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

times  the  number  of  Welshmen  that  Owen  had  with  him ;  but 
this  hill  warfare  was  altogether  strange  to  them,  and  of  course 
they  had  not  the  habit  of  quickly  rallying  and  meeting  the 
attack  that  is  second  nature  with  our  men-at-arms.  The 
affair  is  serious,  and  unless  the  king  comes  hither  with  an  army, 
Glendower  is  likely  to  have  it  all  his  own  way  on  his  side  of 
the  border,  and  ere  long  there  won't  be  an  Englishman  left 
west  of  the  Severn." 

However,  Henry,  when  informed  of  the  danger,  lost  no  time 
in  assembling  another  great  army,  and  in  the  beginning  of  June 
advanced  into  Wales  and  ravaged  a  wide  extent  of  country, 
carrying  his  arms  into  Cardiganshire  and  destroying  the  Abbey 
of  Strata  Florida,  one  of  the  most  venerable  and  famous  abbeys 
in  Wales.  Founded  in  1164,  it  was  burnt  down  in  1294  dur- 
ing the  wars  of  King  Edward  I.  with  the  Welsh,  but  was  soon 
rebuilt.  Here  Llewellyn  in  1237  convened  all  the  chieftains 
of  Wales  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  There  were  two 
copies  of  the  national  records,  one  of  which  was  kept  at  this 
abbey,  and  the  other  at  that  of  Conway.  The  abbey  having 
fallen,  Henry's  army  met  with  scarcely  any  resistance,  Glen- 
dower knowing  that  his  wild  followers  were  no  match  for  the 
royal  troops ;  he  therefore  contented  himself  with  harassing 
them  continually,  and  the  army  suffered  greatly  by  this  contin- 
ued annoyance,  as  well  as  from  fatigue  and  famine.  Thus  the 
king  returned  across  the  border  without  having  achieved  any 
success  whatever. 

The  Lords  of  the  Marches  were  not  now  ordered  to  contri- 
bute any  troops,  but  were  to  hold  their  castles  strongly,  lest, 
when  the  army  was  fairly  entangled  among  the  mountains, 
Glendower  should  make  a  great  incursion  into  England.  The 
only  advantage  gained  by  the  English  invasion  was  that  the 
king,  by  promises  of  pardon  and  rewards,  drew  away  a  number 
of  the  leading  men  who  had  hitherto  acted  with  Glendower. 


A   LETTER   FOR   THE   KING  271 

Their  defection,  however,  was  more  than  made  up  by  the  en- 
thusiasm excited  by  the  spectacle  of  the  second  retirement  of 
a  great  English  army  without  having  effected  anything  of  im- 
portance. 

So  evident  was  this  that  in  October  Henry  again  advanced 
with  the  contingents  of  no  fewer  than  twenty-two  counties. 
The  season,  however,  was  already  unfavourable  for  operations, 
and  after  enduring  great  hardships  and  suffering,  the  army 
again  fell  back,  having  effected  even  less  than  the  two  which 
had  preceded  it.  Things,  however,  turned  out  fortunately  for 
Oswald.  The  army  had  advanced  a  week  across  the  border 
when  a  messenger  arrived  at  Ludlow  with  a  letter  from  London 
for  the  king. 

"  It  will  be  no  easy  matter  to  forward  it,"  Sir  Edmund  said, 
as  the  despatch  was  handed  to  him.  "  Indeed,  I  see  not  how 
it  is  to  be  done.  Beyond  the  fact  that  the  king  intended  to 
march  west,  I  know  nothing  whatever  of  his  intentions  or  of 
the  exact  road  he  was  likely  to  take.  His  orders  were  strict 
that  we  were  to  keep  our  forces  well  in  hand,  and  to  send  the 
letter  forward  would  need  two  hundred  men  at  least  as  an 
escort.     It  places  me  in  an  awkward  position  indeed." 

"  If  it  so  please  you,  Sir  Edmund,"  said  Oswald,  who  was 
one  of  the  group  standing  round  when  the  messenger  handed 
the  letter  to  Mortimer,  "  I  will  endeavour  to  carry  the  despatch 
for  you.  Methinks  that  while  fifty  men  would  not  succeed  in 
getting  through  to  the  army,  two  might  perchance  manage  to 
do  so.  I  shall  of  course  ride  first  to  Shrewsbury,  through 
which  the  king  passed,  and  so  follow  up  the  course  he  took. 
There  should  be  no  great  difficulty  in  doing  that,  for  the 
march  of  so  great  a  body  of  men  must  have  left  many  traces 
behind.  They  will  doubtless  have  harried  the  country  for 
some  distance  each  side  of  the  line  they  followed,  and  it  is  not 
likely  that  I  should  meet  any  of  the  Welsh  until  I  was  near  the 


272  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

army.  Then,  of  course,  great  caution  would  have  to  be  used, 
for  it  is  like  enough  that  there  are  parties  of  Glendower's  men 
hanging  on  its  skirts  to  cut  off  stragglers,  and  plunder  any 
waggons  whose  horses  may  have  fallen  by  the  way." 

"Tis  a  terribly  dangerous  service,"  Sir  Edmund  said 
gravely,  "  but  in  truth  I  see  no  other  way  of  forwarding  this 
letter,  which,  for  aught  I  know,  may  be  of  high  importance. 
But  if  this  is  a  desperate  enterprise,  it  is  also  one  that  will 
bring  you  great  credit  if  safely  carried  through.  I  will  myself, 
if  you  go,  give  you  a  letter  to  the  king,  saying  that  you  have 
volunteered  for  this  desperate  undertaking  from  your  loyalty 
to  his  person,  and  because  it  is  possible  that  the  letter  may 
contain  matter  of  the  highest  importance  to  him  and  the  realm 
in  general.  I  shall  add  that  you  have  already  greatly  distin- 
guished yourself  in  service  against  the  Welsh,  and  are  the  trusty 
esquire  of  my  brother-in-law,  Sir  Henry  Percy." 

"  I  quite  feel,  Sir  Edmund,  that  the  enterprise  is  a  danger- 
ous one,  but  I  am,  nevertheless,  determined,  with  your  permis- 
sion, to  undertake  it.  My  henchman  and  myself  have  together 
gone  through  dangers  as  great,  and  may  pass  through  this  as 
well." 

"  I  will  give  you  my  answer  in  half  an  hour,  Master  Oswald, 
when  I  have  talked  it  over  with  my  knights,  and  heard  their 
opinions  as  to  whether  any  better  plan  can  be  devised." 

Oswald  bowed  and  retired,  and  seeking  out  Roger,  told  him 
of  the  offer  that  he  had  made. 

"  Well,  master,  if  you  are  bent  upon  this  enterprise  you  will 
not  find  me  backward ;  and  indeed  I  am  so  sick  of  this  six 
months  of  idleness,  and  of  seeing  others  marching  to  Wales  to 
fight  while  we  do  nothing  here,  that,  by  St.  Bride,  were  you 
to  ask  me  to  go  into  Glendower's  stronghold  and  pluck  him 
by  the  beard,  I  would  willingly  go  with  you." 

Oswald  laughed. 


A    LETTER    FOR    THE    KING  2<3 

"  'T  is  not  so  bad  as  that,  Roger,  and  yet  't  is  a  service  of 
great  danger.  How  think  you  that  we  had  best  set  about  it, 
on  horse  or  on  foot?" 

Roger  looked  surprised  at  the  question. 

"  It  would  surely  be  better  to  go  on  horseback,  master,  for 
if  we  met  too  many  Welshmen  to  fight,  we  might  at  least  ride 
away  from  them." 

"  There  is  truth  in  that,  Roger ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  our 
feet  will  carry  us  up  and  down  mountains  and  fells  where  our 
horses  could  not  go.  If  mounted  we  must  travel  by  beaten 
tracks,  and  might  be  seized  by  parties  of  Welsh  lurking  in 
the  woods  before  we  knew  of  their  presence.  Without  horses  we 
could  ourselves  keep  within  shelter  of  the  trees,  and  could  so 
evade  the  observation  of  any  who  might  be  stationed  on 
lofty  hills  to  watch  if  any  body  of  troops  were  following  the 
track  of  the  army.  Moreover,  we  should  have  no  trouble 
about  forage  and  water  for  our  steeds." 

"  Enough,  master,  I  see  which  way  your  inclinations  lie  ;  and 
as  my  legs  have  had  a  long  holiday,  it  is  but  right  that  they 
should  carry  me  for  a  bit.  and  assuredly  'tis  easier  for  footmen 
to  hide  than  it  is  for  horsemen." 

"  I  should  say,  Roger,  that  it  would  be  best  to  leave  armour 
as  well  as  horses  behind.  If  we  are  attacked  by  numbers  our 
armour  will  serve  us  but  little,  while  if  without  it,  we  may  be 
able,  even  if  chased,  to  avoid  the  hands  of  these  Welshmen. 
They  say  that  they  are  swift  of  foot ;  but,  as  we  can  hold  our 
own  with  the  Northumbrian  border  men,  we  ought  to  be  able 
to  do  so  against  these  Welsh,  especially  as  our  legs  are  nigh  a 
foot  longer  than  those  of  the  greater  part  of  them." 

"  Very  well,  master.  I  myself  have  no  great  love  for  travel- 
ling in  armour,  and  would  almost  as  soon  march  in  a  monk's 
gown  again  as  in  breastplate  and  back-piece." 

"  Very  well,  so  we  will  arrange  it.     We  shall  have  to  carry 


274  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

our  provisions,  for  you  may  be  sure  that  we  shall  get  no- 
thing whatever  while  we  are  following  the  army.  They  will 
strip  the  country  clean.  You  know  how  terribly  they  have 
suffered  by  famine  on  the  two  previous  expeditions,  and  it  will 
assuredly  be  no  better  now.  Food,  however,  we  can  procure 
at  Shrewsbury,  from  which  point  we  shall  take  our  start." 

A  retainer  at  this  moment  came  out  from  the  hall  and 
informed  Oswald  that  Sir  Edmund  would  speak  with  him. 
When  he  entered   Mortimer  said  : 

"  My  knights  and  I  agree  that  this  letter  ought  to  be  sent 
forward  to  the  king,  for  if  it  contains  matters  of  importance 
great  harm  might  result  from  delay,  and  the  king's  anger  be 
excited  against  us  for  not  having  sent  it  to  him.  His  orders 
to  me  were  strict,  that  neither  I  nor  any  of  my  force  should 
join  him ;  therefore  I  accept  your  offer  with  thanks.  Have 
you  formed  any  plan  for  your  proceeding?" 

Oswald  repeated  the  substance  of  what  he  had  said  to  Roger. 

"I  think,  perhaps,  you  are  right,"  Mortimer  said,  "and  that 
you  may  have  more  chance  of  getting  safely  through  on  foot 
than  if  you  rode  with  but  a  small  force  to  escort  you.  When 
you  are  ready  to  start  I  will  speak  to  you  in  private,  touching 
some  things  connected  with  your  journey." 

When  Oswald  returned,  Mortimer  said  to  him,  "You  see, 
Master  Oswald,  the  position  is  by  no  means  simple.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  king  regards  me  with  no  favourable  eye. 
He  holds  my  nephews  in  his  keeping,  and  doubtless  imagines 
that  I  bear  him  ill-will.  As  their  uncle,  he  supposes  that, 
should  at  any  time  a  party  be  formed  to  place  the  Earl  of 
March  on  the  throne,  I  should  be  the  leader  in  the  matter, 
though  assuredly  I  have  never  given  him  any  reason  to  doubt 
my  loyalty.  I  say  not  that  I  approved  of  the  deposition  of  King 
Richard,  and  indeed  I  have  not,  like  Lord  Grey  and  many  other 
nobles,  among  them  the  Percys,  been  a  warm   supporter  of 


A   LETTER   FOR  THE   KING  275 

King  Henry's  cause.  I  hold  myself  altogether  neutral  in  that 
matter.  I  saw  that  nothing  would  be  more  ruinous  for  the 
country  than  that  a  boy  like  my  nephew  should  mount  the 
throne  ;  and  had  a  party  been  formed  to  make  him  king  instead 
of  Henry  I  would  have  taken  no  share  in  it.  Nevertheless, 
there  is  no  getting  over  the  fact  that  by  right  the  Earl  of 
March  is  King  of  England,  and  there  is  no  saying  what  may 
come  about  in  the  future  j  but  assuredly  at  the  present  time 
I  am  as  ready  to  do  my  duty  towards  King  Henry  as  are 
those  who  are  louder  in  their  expressions  of  attachment  to 
him. 

"  Nevertheless,  I  am  well  aware  that  the  king  distrusts  me. 
As  you  see,  he  has  not,  these  three  times  that  he  has  invaded 
Wales,  come  near  Ludlow;  he  has  not  summoned  me  to  join 
his  banner ;  nay,  more,  has  strictly  ordered  me  not  to  send  a 
man-at-arms  to  join  him.  I  own  that  this  letter  troubles  me 
somewhat.  Why  should  it  not  have  been  carried  to  Shrews- 
bury instead  of  being  brought  hither  ?  It  has,  indeed,  come 
from  London,  and  those  who  sent  it  may  not  know  that  the 
king  would  move  by  Shrewsbury  and  not  by  this  line,  which 
would  indeed  be  more  direct  for  him  in  advancing  into  Mont- 
gomery and  Cardiganshire  ;  on  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  a 
snare.  If  I  send  it  not  forward,  he  might  blame  me  greatly 
tor  holding  it  back  ;  if  I  send  it  forward,  and  perchance  it  falls 
on  the  way  into  the  hands  of  the  Welsh,  he  might  harbour 
the  thought,  even  if  he  did  not  accuse  me  openly,  of  con- 
niving with  Glendower.  One  pretext  is  as  good  as  another, 
however  unlikely  it  may  be,  when  a  king  desires  to  make  a 
quarrel  with  one  of  his  vassals.  Your  offer  to  carry  it  is 
then  a  very  seasonable  one,  and  goes  far  to  get  me  out  of  the 
difficulty. 

"  In  the  first  place,  by  sending  it  by  you  I  afford  no  ground 
for  him  to  say  that  I  have  disobeyed  his  orders  to  send  no  one 


276  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

of  my  following  to  his  army ;  and  in  the  next  place,  whatever 
suspicion  he  may  have  of  me,  assuredly  he  can  have  none  of 
the  Percys,  to  whom  he  so  largely  owes  his  crown  ;  and  that  a 
trusted  squire  of  Hotspur  should  be  the  bearer  of  the  letter  is 
sufficient  proof  that  all  that  could  be  done  was  done  for  its  safe 
carriage.  Should  you  fail  to  deliver  it,  he  can  at  least  not  put 
it  down  to  any  fault  of  mine.  Sir  James  Burgon  and  Sir  Philip 
Haverstone  both  offered  to  carry  it,  urging  that  the  danger 
should  fall  on  them  and  not  upon  you,  who  are  still  an  esquire, 
and  have  no  duty  towards  me  in  the  affair,  and  that  it  were  a 
shame  that  they  should  remain  here  idle  while  you  rode  per- 
haps to  your  death. 

"Assuredly  my  feelings  were  with  them,  and  were  it  not 
for  the  circumstances  in  which  I  am  placed,  I  should  certainly 
intrust  the  enterprise  to  them ;  but  on  my  laying  the  whole 
matter  before  them,  and  pointing  out  that  the  coming  of  two 
of  my  knights  to  him  would  be  a  breach  of  the  king's  orders, 
they  saw  that  since  you  were  willing  to  undertake  it,  it  were 
best  that  it  should  be  so.  I  doubt  not  that  Henry  would  not 
unwillingly  fasten  some  quarrel  on  me  ;  he  has  his  army  at 
hand,  and  did  he  march  hither,  he  could  seize  my  lands  and 
those  of  my  nephew  and  partition  them  out  among  his  friends, 
for  I  am  in  no  condition  to  strike  a  single  blow  in  my  defence. 
We  know  well  enough  that  when  a  king  wishes  to  get  rid  of 
one  of  his  nobles,  there  is  never  any  great  difficulty  in  finding 
a  pretext  for  his  arrest  and  execution." 

"  I  quite  understand,  Sir  Edmund,  and  for  my  part  I  will 
assuredly  do  my  best  to  place  this  letter  in  the  hands  of  the 
king.  I  shall  say  that,  being  of  Sir  Henry  Percy's  household, 
and  knowing  that  my  lord  would  be  glad  that  I  should  have 
the  opportunity  of  striking  a  blow  under  the  king's  leading, 
I  volunteered  at  once,  when  the  letter  arrived,  to  bear  it  to 
him,  and  that,  seeing  his  majesty  had  laid  his  orders  on  you  to 


A   LETTER    FOR   THE    KING  I  i  I 

keep  all  your  force  in  readiness  to  repel  Glendower,  should  he 
issue  out  in  this  quarter,  you  granted  my  request  that  I  should 
be  its  bearer." 

"  That  will  do  well,  Oswald.  I  know  that  the  danger  is  by 
no  means  small,  but  I  trust  that  you  may  surmount  it.  I  shall 
send  off  a  letter  to-day  to  Hotspur.  Doubtless  you  will  your- 
self be  writing  to  him,  and  explain  to  him  why  I  have  suffered 
you  to  undertake  so  dangerous  an  enterprise." 

Two  hours  later,  Oswald,  having  despatched  the  messenger 
to  Hotspur  with  his  own  letter  and  that  of  Mortimer,  mounted, 
and  with  Roger  rode  to  Shrewsbury.  Here  he  was  able  to 
gather  but  little  news  as  to  the  present  position  of  the  army. 
For  four  days  no  messengers  had  arrived  from  the  king.  The 
last  news  was  to  the  effect  that  the  army  was  marching  forward 
through  Montgomeryshire.  On  first  starting  they  had  made  a 
long  march  to  Welshpool,  and  thence  had  proceeded  to  New- 
town. On  the  way  the  Welsh  had  rushed  down  from  the  hills 
and  had  fallen  on  the  baggage,  slain  many  of  the  drivers,  and 
killed  so  many  horses  that  it  had  been  necessary  to  leave  some 
of  the  waggons  behind. 

At  Newtown  they  halted,  and  parties  had  been  sent  out  in 
all  directions  to  harry  the  country,  while  a  part  of  the  force 
left  at  Welshpool  marched  upon  Llanfair.  This  was  the  last 
news  that  had  come  through  from  the  king.  But  from  Welsh- 
pool they  heard  next  day  that  there  had  been  several  skir- 
mishes with  the  Welsh,  and  that  heavy  rains  had  made  the 
roads  all  but  impassable.  No  more  messages  had  come 
This  was  not  surprising,  as  it  was  certain  that  the  Welsh  would 
close  in  behind  the  army  as  it  advanced  ;  and  as  there  would 
be  no  great  occasion  to  send  news  back,  the  king  would  not 
care  to  weaken  himself  by  detaching  escorts  of  sufficient 
strength  to  make  their  way  down. 

"  If  we  could  have  been  sure  which  way  the  king  had  been 


278  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

going,  Roger,  it  would  have  been  much  shorter  for  us  to  have 
made  direct  for  Llanidloes." 

"  Certainly  it  would,  Master  Oswald ;  but  you  see  he  might 
have  turned  more  to  the  north,  in  which  case  we  should  have 
perhaps  been  unable  to  gather  news  of  his  whereabouts, 
while  we  should  have  run  no  small  risk  of  getting  our  throats 
cut." 

"  It  is  evident,  Roger,  that  the  king  is  marching  at  present 
in  the  direction  of  Plinlimmon.  No  doubt  he  hopes  that 
Glendower  will  come  down  and  give  him  battle,  but  methinks 
he  will  not  be  foolish  enough  to  do  so.  The  weather  and  the 
hills  will  fight  far  better  for  him  than  the  Welsh  themselves 
can  do,  and  he  has  but  to  leave  the  army  to  wander  about 
through  the  mountains  and  forests,  as  he  did  last  time,  to 
ensure  that  they  must  ere  long  fall  back." 

At  daybreak  the  next  morning  they  set  out  and  rode  to 
Welshpool.  This  being  a  walled  town,  and  the  population 
almost  entirely  English,  they  could  leave  their  horses  here  in 
safety.  They  first  went  to  the  governor's,  and  upon  Oswald's 
explaining  that  they  were  the  bearers  of  a  letter  for  the  king, 
and  asking  whether  he  could  give  them  any  information  as  to 
the  direction  they  had  best  take,  he  shook  his  head. 

"  No  news  has  come  hither  for  the  last  five  days,"  he  said. 
"  A  herd  of  bullocks  arrived  here  three  days  since,  and  were 
to  have  been  forwarded  on  to  the  army,  but  the  Welsh  are  out 
in  force  and  every  road  beset.  Parties  have  come  down  from 
the  hills  overlooking  us,  and  have  fired  several  houses  that 
escaped  when  they  last  attacked  us.  My  force  is  sufficient  to 
hold  the  town  against  any  attacks,  but  I  cannot  spare  so  many 
men  as  would  be  required  to  convoy  the  cattle.  I  told  the 
king  so  before  he  went  on,  but  he  said  that  no  Welshman 
would  dare  show  himself  when  the  army  had  once  passed  on, 
and  that  every  Welsh  house  and  village  would  be  destroyed 


A   LETTER    FOR   THE   KING  279 

and  all  within  them  put  to  the  sword,  so  that  I  should  have  no 
difficulty  in  sending  forward  cattle  and  other  supplies. 

"That  the  villages  have  been  destroyed  I  have  no  doubt, 
for  the  messengers  who  came  in  from  Llanfair  told  me  that  as 
they  passed  over  the  hills  they  could  see  smoke  rising  from 
the  forests  in  all  directions;  but  whether  the  inhabitants 
remained  quietly  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  troops  is  more 
than  doubtful.  There  were  beacon  fires  on  all  the  hills  the 
night  before  the  army  left  Shrewsbury  and  again  on  the  next 
night.  Since  then  we  have  seen  no  more  from  here,  but  those 
who  came  from  Llanfair  told  us  that  they  were  burning  on 
every  hill  the  night  they  got  there,  so  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  old  men,  women,  and  children  were  at  once  sent  off,  prob- 
ably to  shelter  in  the  Plinlimmon  district,  or  mayhap  in  the 
forests  of  Cader  Idris ;  at  any  rate,  we  may  be  sure  that  very 
few  will  be  found  at  their  villages.  It  was  so  the  last  time  the 
king's  army  marched  along,  and  the  same  when  he  made  his 
way  through  Denbigh  to  Anglesey. 

"  The  Welsh  care  little  for  the  burning  of  their  houses ; 
it  takes  but  two  or  three  days'  work  to  rebuild  them.  The 
harrying  of  the  villages  will  not  bring  the  matter  a  day  nearer 
to  a  conclusion.  It  is  by  destroying  the  castles  and  houses  of 
the  better  class  that  an  effect  will  be  produced.  The  peasants 
have  little  to  lose,  the  Welsh  gentry  have  houses  and  estates, 
and  the  fear  of  losing  these  may  drive  them  to  abandon 
Glendower  and  to  come  over  to  us.  Many  did  so  after  the 
king's  last  invasion.  Methinks  the  best  policy  would  be  to 
spare  the  villagers  and  give  the  peasants  no  cause  for  com- 
plaint, and  to  war  only  against  their  leaders.  But  as  to  yourself, 
sir,  there  is  not  the  most  remote  chance  of  your  getting  through, 
and  you  had  best  wait  here  until  the  army  returns  or  some 
levies  who  may  have  arrived  late  at  Shrewsbury  come  up  on 
their  way  to  join  the  king." 


280  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  I  inquired  at  Shrewsbury  last  night,  sir,  but  I  heard  that 
no  more  parties  were  expected,  the  contingents  from  all  the 
counties  having  joined  the  king  at  Worcester  on  the  day 
ordered.  My  intention  is  that  I  and  my  man-at-arms  will 
leave  our  horses  here  and  go  forward  on  foot.  In  that  way  we 
can  travel  for  the  most  part  through  the  forests,  and  may  escape 
being  seen.  We  have  already  left  our  armour  behind  us  at 
Ludlow,  so  as  to  be  able  to  move  more  rapidly.  We  are  both 
Northumbrians,  and  are  accustomed  to  traverse  moors  and 
fells,  and  even  should  we  be  seen  by  any  straggling  party  of 
the  enemy,  we  shall  have  a  fair  chance  of  outrunning  them 
and  throwing  them  off  our  track.  At  any  rate  it  is  my  duty  to 
endeavour  to  carry  the  letter  to  the  king." 

"  Is  it  a  matter  of  life  and  death?  " 

"  That  I  know  not,  sir.  A  royal  messenger  brought  it  from 
London  to  Ludlow.  He  had  ridden  with  relays  of  horses,  but 
had  no  means  of  getting  farther,  and  begged  Sir  Edmund 
Mortimer  to  forward  it.  I  myself,  an  esquire  of  Sir  Henry 
Percy,  was  staying  as  a  guest  with  Sir  Edmund,  who  is,  as 
you  know,  my  lord's  brother-in-law,  and  I  volunteered  to  carry 
it,  being  anxious  to  have  an  opportunity  of  doing  service  to 
the  king." 

"  It  was  a  bold  offer,  young  man,  and  doubtless  when  you 
made  it  you  were  scarce  aware  how  dangerous  was  the  business 
that  you  undertook.  Did  I  think  that  it  would  be  of  any  use 
I  would  furnish  you  with  twenty  men-at-arms  to  ride  with 
you,  but  I  know  that  such  a  force  would  in  no  way  add  to 
your  safety.  You  might  get  as  far  as  Llanidloes  or  Llanfair, 
whichever  route  you  might  choose,  though  I  think  not  that 
you  would  do  so,  but  beyond  that  it  would  be  hopeless  for  any 
force  of  less  than  five  hundred  good  fighting  men  to  attempt  to 
make  their  way  through.  From  what  I  hear  there  are  at  least 
fifteen   thousand  Welshmen  in  arms.     Many,    doubtless,   are 


A    LETTER   FOR   THE   KING  281 

with  Glendower  himself,  the  rest  will  be  scattered  among  the 
hills  ready  to  pounce  upon  any  party  who  may  be  moving  up 
the  valleys  to  join  the  king ;  and  there  are  plenty  of  places 
where  a  couple  of  hundred  men  could  check  the  advance  of 
an  army." 

"  Then  it  is  all  the  more  necessary,  sir,  that  we  should  trust 
to  good  fortune  and  to  making  our  way  unseen.  May  I  pray 
you  to  take  care  of  our  horses  till  we  return  to  claim  them  ? 
Should  we  never  do  so  there  are  doubtless  many  upon  whom 
you  could  bestow  them ;  and  they  are  both  rarety  good 
animals,  for  one  was  presented  to  me  by  Sir  Henry  Percy  and 
the  other  by  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer." 

"  I  will  take  care  of  them  willingly.  If  you  do  not  return 
before  the  king  marches  back,  and  I  find  when  he  comes  that 
you  did  not  reach  him,  I  will  use  the  horses  myself,  holding 
them  always  as  your  property  should  you  at  any  time  return 
to  claim  them.  Is  there  aught  else  that  I  can  do  to  help 
you?" 

"  No,  sir ;  what  would  of  all  other  things  be  most  valuable  to 
us  would  be  a  guide,  but  from  what  I  have  seen  and  heard 
of  the  Welsh  I  fear  that  no  reliance  whatever  can  be  placed 
on  one  of  them." 

"  Certainly  not  at  present ;  did  you  take  one  he  would  but 
slip  away  at  the  first  opportunity ;  and  there  is  no  Englishman, 
so  far  as  I  know,  who  could  guide  you  through  the  mountains." 

"  In  that  case,  sir,  we  must  perforce  travel  close  to  the 
roads  so  as  to  be  sure  that  we  do  not  wander  from  the  track, 
but  keeping  in  the  shelter  of  the  forest." 

"  That  is  the  only  possible  course,"  the  governor  agreed ; 
"  to  be  lost  among  those  hills  would  be  certain  death.  If  you 
failed  to  fall  in  with  anyone  you  would  die  of  hunger ;  if  you 
did  meet  anyone  you  would  be  killed ;  Glendower  spares  no 
Englishman  who  falls  into  his  hands." 


282  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  I  don't  know  that  he  can  be  greatly  blamed  for  that,  sir," 
Oswald  said  with  a  smile,  "  seeing  that  the  Welsh  meet  with 
such  scant  mercy  from  us." 

"  'T  is  a  savage  war,"  the  governor  said,  shrugging  his 
shoulders,  "  and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  will  continue  until  the 
last  Welshman  is  exterminated." 

"  That  will  be  a  difficult  thing  indeed  to  effect,"  Oswald 
laughed,  "  as  difficult  as  was  the  extermination  of  wolves  in 
England ;  but  I  hope  that  matters  will  arrange  themselves 
long  before  that.  Surely  in  time  the  Welsh  leaders  will  see 
that  the  struggle  is  a  hopeless  one,  and  that  they  will  lose 
their  homes  and  their  possessions  and  their  lives  if  they  con- 
tinue it.  Brave  as  the  Welsh  may  be,  they  cannot  withstand 
the  whole  strength  of  England.  They  may  exist  in  the  forests 
for  a  time,  but,  with  all  the  valleys  and  fertile  lands  in  English 
hands,  they  will  at  last  be  forced  to  submit." 

"  It  would  seem  so ;  but  Edward  said  the  same  thing  of 
Scotland.  He  carried  fire  and  sword  through  it  time  after 
time,  and  yet  Scotland  has  still  its  king  and  holds  its  own  on 
the  border." 

"  That  is  so,  sir  \  but  Scotland  is  a  large  country,  whereas 
Wales  is  a  small  one,  and  the  towns  and  castles  are  English, 
as  are  all  the  ports,  and  the  people  themselves,  although 
brave,  are  wholly  without  discipline,  and  are  able  to  fight  only 
in  the  mountains,  while  the  Scots  are  strong  enough  to  give 
battle  to  us  on  level  ground,  and  have  defeated  us  more  than 
once." 

"  My  advice  to  you  is  to  leave  the  town  at  night,"  the 
governor  said  as  Oswald  rose  to  leave.  "  There  may  be 
many  of  the  Welsh  lying  round  us  now,  and  doubtless  they 
learn  from  their  countrymen  here  all  that  is  doing.  I  will  give 
you  a  scroll  ordering  that  you  are  allowed  to  pass  out  at  any 
time  by  night  or  day." 


A  LETTER   FOR  THE   KING  283 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  I  had  intended  to  start  to-morrow  morn- 
ing two  hours  before  daybreak,  so  as  to  get  well  into  the 
forest  before  sunrise.  I  shall,  of  course,  go  first  to  Llanidloes, 
where  doubtless  a  strong  guard  will  have  been  left.  As  far  as 
that  I  cannot  well  miss  my  way,  as  I  shall  have  but  to  keep 
along  the  side  of  the  valley." 

"  That  is  so.  Beyond  that  the  river  is  a  mere  streamlet, 
and  you  will  have  to  make  across  the  hills." 

"  Do  you  know,  sir,  whether  the  force  that  went  to  Llanfair 
was  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  king?  " 

"  No,  I  believe  not ;  at  any  rate  not  for  the  present.  The 
party  was  to  march  west,  the  king's  force  was  to  move  south 
of  Plinlimmon,  Lord  Talbot's  to  cross  the  range  of  hills  and 
come  down  upon  the  river  Dovey,  and  if  possible  prevent 
Glendower,  if  he  is  still  on  Plinlimmon,  from  making  his  way 
to  Dinas  Mowddwy  or  Cader  Idris,  or  up  to  Snowdon  again. 
The  plan  is  doubtless  as  good  as  another,  but  I  doubt  whether 
Talbot's  force,  if  ten  times  as  numerous  as  it  is,  could  prevent 
Glendower  from  slipping  away." 

That  evening  Oswald  bought  a  supply  of  bread  and  meat 
sufficient  to  last  Roger  and  himself  for  three  days.  This  was 
divided  in  halves  and  placed  in  bags  which  would  be  slung  over 
their  shoulders.  The  horses  had  already  been  sent  up  to  the 
castle,  and  after  sleeping  for  a  few  hours  the  two  left  the 
town,  and,  turning  to  the  right,  ascended  the  hill.  Oswald 
carried  his  sword  and  dagger.  Roger,  in  addition  to  these, 
had  a  heavy  oaken  quarter-staff.  "This,"  he  said,  "may  be 
of  service  in  mountain  work,  and  may  suffice  to  crack  the 
skulls  of  any  half-dozen  Welshmen  we   may  fall  in  with." 

Loth  had  put  on  plain  leather  jerkins  and  cloth  caps,  and 
wore,  underneath  their  own,  suits  with  the  Percy  cognisance 
embroidered  on  them,  in  order  that  they  might  present  them- 
selves in  proper  attire  should  they  arrive  at  the  king's  camp. 


284  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

The  weather  was  already  becoming  cold,  and  the  double  suit 
was  therefore  not  uncomfortable.  As  the  dress  of  the  Welsh 
in  the  towns  and  valleys  was  very  similar  to  that  worn  by 
English  villagers,  they  would  attract  but  little  attention  should 
they  have  cause  to  take  to  the  road  for  any  short  distance. 
Keeping  within  the  edge  of  the  belt  of  trees,  they  followed  the 
valley  down  past  the  ruins  of  Montgomery,  and  passed  New- 
town without  entering  it.  Many  times  during  the  morning 
they  heard  loud  shouts  from  the  woods  in  which  they  were, 
answered  by  similar  cries  from  the  other  side  of  the  valley, 
and  were  obliged  to  move  with  great  caution,  for  it  was  evi- 
dent that  a  considerable  number  of  Welsh  were  in  ambush  in 
the  woods  in  readiness  to  attack  any  party  who  might  be  pro- 
ceeding up  or  down  the  valley. 

Towards  noon  they  were  obliged  to  leave  the  edge  of  the 
forest  and  to  ascend  to  the  brow  of  the  hills,  as  it  was  certain 
that  any  parties  of  the  enemy  who  might  be  in  the  forest 
would  be  assembled  near  its  edge  in  readiness  to  pour  suddenly 
down.  More  than  once  they  heard  voices  but  a  short  distance 
away,  and  paused  for  a  time  to  allow  parties  of  men  to  cross 
ahead  of  them.  Their  greatest  danger  lay  in  crossing  the  side 
valleys,  but  as  the  Welsh  would  be  expecting  no  one  to  come 
down  these,  they  succeeded  in  crossing  without  being  observed. 
They  were  well  content  when,  just  as  night  was  falling,  they 
came  down  upon  Llanidloes.  Crossing  the  wooden  bridge 
over  the  stream  they  entered  the  town  boldly,  for,  looking 
down  upon  it,  they  had  seen  many  men  in  armour  in  the 
streets,  and  knew  that  the  place  was  occupied  by  the  English. 

At  the  gate  at  the  end  of  the  bridge  they  were  asked  their 
business,  but  they  replied  that  they  could  only  answer  that  to 
the  officer  commanding,  and  were  taken  before  him. 

"  Whence  come  you,  friends?  "  the  latter  said.  "  Surely  you 
must  be  English  by  your  height,  but  what  you  are  doing  here 


A   LETTER   FOR  THE   KING  285 

in  times  like  the  present  I  know  not.  Come  you  from  the 
king's  army  or  from  the  north?" 

'•We  left  Welshpool  before  daybreak,"  Oswald  said,  "and 
have  travelled  through  the  forest." 

"Then  you  must  be  as  bold  as  you  are  tall,  sirs,  for  the 
woods  are  full  of  these  wild  Welsh." 

"  Of  that  we  are  aware,  sir,  and  we  had  some  difficulty  in 
making  our  way  through  them  unobserved.  I  would  not 
answer  the  guard  when  we  entered,  for  we  are  going  farther, 
and  had  it  been  mentioned  in  the  hearing  of  a  Welshman, 
news  might  have  been  sent  on  ahead." 

"  I  think  not  that  you  can  reach  the  king.  When  we  last 
heard,  his  foremost  divisions  were  marching  forward,  and 
devastating  the  country  on  both  sides  of  their  line  of  march. 
We  have  heard  reports  that  some  of  the  parties  have  been 
attacked  and  well-nigh  destroyed,  and  certain  it  is  that  Glen- 
dower's  men  are  scattered  all  over  the  country.  We  were 
three  days  without  news,  but  this  morning  a  strong  party 
came  in  escorting  sick  and  wounded.  They  had  to  fight 
hard,  but  beat  off  their  opponents,  and  got  in  with  the  loss 
of  a  third  of  their  number.  They  had  started  at  night,  and 
fortunately  arrived  within  five  miles  of  here  before  they  were 
attacked." 

"And  where  is  the  king  now,  sir?" 

"  The  king  himself  is  at  Capel  Bangor,  and  the  army  lies 
between  that  place  and  Yspetty  Cynfyn." 

"Then  't  is  but  a  day's  march  from  here?  " 

"  It  would  be  but  a  short  day's  march  could  you  follow  the 
road,  but  it  would  be  impossible  to  do  so,  for  't  is  beset  every- 
where, and  'tis  so  rough  and  hilly  that  in  places  the  men-at- 
arms  had  to  dismount.  You  will  have  to  wait  here  till  a  large 
force  sets  out  with  provisions,  for  those  who  came  in  declare 
that  they  will  not  attempt  to  return,  so  great  is  the  number 


286  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

of  Welshmen  along  there  and  so  fierce  and  reckless  are  they. 
But  you  have  not  yet  told  me  who  you  are,  and  why  you 
would  push  on  to  the  army  thus  rashly." 

Oswald  opened  his  jerkin  and  showed  the  handsome  attire 
beneath  it,  embroidered  with  the  Percy  cognisance.  "  I  am 
an  esquire  of  Sir  Henry  Percy,"  he  said,  "and  have  been  stay- 
ing for  a  while  with  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer,  whose  sister  is  my 
lord's  wife.  A  royal  messenger  arrived  at  Ludlow  with  a 
letter  for  the  king,  and  as  there  was  no  other  way  of  bringing 
it  forward,  I  volunteered  to  carry  it  with  my  man-at-arms 
here." 

"  It  was  a  brave  offer,  young  sir,  but  I  fear  that  you  will 
scarce  be  able  to  carry  it  into  effect.  The  men  who  came 
here  report  that  it  is  unsafe  to  stir  a  yard  from  the  camp,  for 
those  who  wander  away,  for  however  short  a  distance,  are  sure 
to  be  slain  by  the  lurking  Welshmen.  No  resistance  is  offered 
when  strong  parties  go  out,  but  less  than  two  hundred  men-at- 
arms  cannot  hope  to  move  unattacked." 

"'Tis  for  that  reason  that  I  have  come  on  foot,"  Oswald 
said.  "  I  saw  that  it  would  be  hopeless  for  two  horsemen  to 
get  through,  but  on  foot  we  may  travel  through  the  woods 
without  being  discovered  ;  while  if  we  are  seen,  methinks  it 
would  need  speedy  feet  to  catch  us." 

"  Well,  since  you  bear  a  royal  letter  I  cannot  stop  you,  but 
it  seems  to  me  that  your  chance  of  getting  through  is  small 
indeed." 


KNIGHTED  2S7 

CHAPTER  XVII 

KNIGHTED 

THE  rain  was  coming  down  in  torrents  when  Oswald  and 
Roger  started  the  next  morning.  On  leaving  the  town 
they  turned  to  the  left  with  the  intention  of  making  a  consid- 
erable detour,  keeping  well  away  from  the  road,  as  it  was  near 
this  that  the  Welsh  would  be  most  likely  watching.  They 
chose  this  side  because  to  the  right  of  the  road  the  country  was 
more  broken,  rising  swell  after  swell  towards  Plinlimmon,  and 
it  was  likely  that  the  largest  portion  of  the  Welsh  would  be  on 
that  side,  so  that  they  could  at  any  time  retire  to  their  fast- 
nesses. They  were  soon  in  the  woods ;  the  streams  they  met 
with  were  turbid  and  full  to  the  brim. 

"  We  shall  have  trouble  with  this  water,  Roger,"  Oswald 
said,  as  they  waded  across  one  waist-deep.  "  This  is  but  a 
little  stream,  but  if  there  are  larger  ones,  as  is  like  enough,  we 
shall  have  to  swim  before  we  are  done.  There  is  one  advantage 
in  such  weather  as  this,  even  the  Welsh  will  scarce  be  active." 

"  They  have  not  got  much  clothing  to  wet,"  Roger  said. 
<;  Their  dress  is  better  suited  than  ours  for  such  weather." 

The  way  was  a  rough  one.  Hills,  although  of  no  great 
height,  had  to  be  crossed,  and  many  streams  to  be  waded. 
Fortunately  they  met  with  few  larger  than  that  they  had  first 
crossed,  for  the  water  from  that  side  of  the  hills  made  its  way 
for  the  most  part  direct  into  the  Severn,  while  that  which  came 
down  from  the  slopes  of  Plinlimmon  towards  the  road  fell 
into  a  stream,  dry  in  fine  weather,  but  now  a  raging  torrent, 
which  ran  past  Llandulas  and  into  the  Severn  at  Llanidloes. 

"Do  you  think  that  we  are  going  right,  Roger?"  Oswald 
said,  after  they  had  been  walking  for  six  or  seven  hours,  "  for 


288  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

what  with  these  ups  and  downs  and  turnings  and  windings, 
there  is  no  saying  which  is  east  and  which  is  west.  If  the 
sun  were  shining  we  should  be  sure  of  our  direction,  but  with 
these  dull  leaden  clouds  there  is  no  saying." 

"  I  have  no  idea,  master.  If  we  were  out  on  a  moor  we 
should  be  able  to  judge  and  to  make  a  fairly  straight  course, 
keeping  the  wind  and  rain  on  one  side  of  us,  but  in  this  thick 
forest,  though  most  of  the  leaves  have  fallen,  those  that  remain 
on  the  branches  break  up  the  rain,  and  it  seems  to  come 
straight  down  upon  us." 

Presently  they  came  to  another  water-course. 

"  Why,  Roger,  the  water  is  going  in  the  other  direction  !  " 

"  So  it  is,  master.     How  can  that  be?  " 

"  It  is  just  possible  that  we  have  crossed  some  dividing  point, 
and  the  water  is  making  its  way  towards  the  south  and  will 
fall  into  some  other  river ;  but  I  am  very  much  afraid  that  the 
real  explanation  is  that  we  have  entirely  lost  our  way,  and  are 
going  in  the  opposite  direction  to  that  in  which  we  started. 
The  question  is,  shall  we  cross  it  or  shall  we  follow  it  down?  " 

"  Just  as  you  like,"  Roger  said.  "  For  myself,  I  think  that 
the  best  way  would  be  to  find  some  place  where  we  could 
shelter.  To-morrow  the  sun  may  be  out  again,  and  that  will 
tell  us  which  way  to  go.  If  we  start  at  daybreak  and  keep  it 
to  our  back  we  can't  go  far  wrong." 

"  Except  that  we  may  pass  the  army  altogether,  Roger. 
They  told  us  that  the  rearmost  division  was  not  more  than  ten 
miles  ahead." 

"  We  must  have  walked  double  that  already,  I  should  say, 
master." 

"  Not  so  much  as  that.  We  have  been  a  long  time  over  it, 
but  it  is  slow  travelling  over  this  broken  ground  and  thick 
wood.  I  am  sure  I  hope  that  we  have  not  gone  twenty  miles, 
or  anything  like  it,  for  in  that  case,  if  we  have  been  keeping 


KNIGHTED  289 

fairly  in  the  right  direction,  we  must  have  passed  the  army. 
If  we  have  been  going  in  the  wrong  direction  there  is  no 
saying  where  we  may  be.  Still,  I  think  that  your  suggestion 
is  a  good  one.  It  is  of  no  use  our  going  on  when  we  may 
be  getting  farther  away  at  every  step.  It  is  lucky  that  we 
bought  these  thick  cloaks  at  Welshpool,  for  without  them  we 
should  have  been  soaked  to  the  skin  hours  ago." 

"  Well,  as  we  have  been  wetted  to  the  waist  a  score  of  times 
in  the  streams,  I  don't  see  that  it  would  have  mattered  much 
if  the  rest  of  us  had  been  wet  through." 

"  Well,  now  let  us  look  for  a  shelter." 

After  searching  for  half  an  hour  they  found  a  spot  where  a 
wall  of  shaly  rock  barred  their  way.  At  one  spot  some  of 
this  had  fallen  in,  forming  a  sort  of  shallow  cave  some  three 
feet  deep. 

"  This  is  not  a  bad  beginning,  Roger,  but  we  must  try  and 
make  it  a  great  deal  more  snug." 

They  first  cut  down  some  young  fir  poles  and  placed  them 
so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  pent-house  against  the  wall.  On  these 
they  piled  a  number  of  branches  of  the  same  trees  until  it 
was  over  a  foot  in  thickness. 

"So  far  so  good,"  Oswald  said.  "  Now,  Roger,  look  about 
for  a  fallen  tree.  We  have  passed  scores  on  our  way.  You 
must  get  a  thoroughly  rotten  one,  and  cut  away  a  portion  of 
the  under  side ;  it  will  be  dry  enough  there." 

"  You  might  get  a  little  of  that  to  start  with,"  Roger  said  ; 
"  but  the  ground  is  covered  everywhere  with  fir  cones,  and 
there  is  no  better  stuff  for  fires." 

Taking  off  his  cloak  he  laid  it  down,  and  they  both  piled 
the  fir  cones  on  this  until  a  great  heap  was  collected.  This 
they  carried  into  their  shelter  through  an  opening  they  had 
left  in  the  pent-house. 

"  We    must    have    something    dry  to    start  it  with ;    these 

19 


290  BOTH  SIDES  THE    BORDER 

cones  are  a  great  deal  too  wet  to  burn  without  a  good  heat 
to  start  them.  There  is  nothing  better  than  the  fir  needles, 
master,  if  we  can  find  some  dry  ones." 

After  some  searching  a  considerable  number  of  these  needles 
were  collected,  some  lying  under  fallen  trees,  and  others 
swept  by  the  wind  into  rocky  corners,  where  the  rain  had  not 
reached  them. 

"  Now  I  think  that  we  shall  do,  Roger." 

As  soon  as  they  were  inside,  Roger  produced  a  large  lump 
of  dry  fungus  he  had  found  on  the  other  side  of  the  Severn, 
and,  by  the  aid  of  his  flint  and  steel,  soon  succeeded  in 
striking  sparks  upon  it.  As  soon  as  these  began  to  spread, 
he  put  a  little  pile  of  fir  needles  on  it,  and,  blowing  gently, 
bright  flames  soon  darted  up.  A  few  more  handfuls  of  fuel 
were  added,  and  fir  cones  placed  at  the  top,  and  in  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  a  clear,  bright  fire  was  burning.  The  dripping 
cloaks  were  hung  up  to  the  fir  poles  to  dry,  and  the  jerkins, 
which  were  also  damp,  although  the  water  had  not  penetrated 
through  them,  were  spread  near  the  fire. 

"  It  was  well  that  I  bought  this  little  skin  of  wine  last 
night,"  Roger  said.  "  You  thought  it  was  better  to  be  without 
such  a  burden,  but  the  weight  of  a  gallon  of  wine  doesn't 
count  for  much,  and  it  makes  all  the  difference  in  our  com- 
fort here." 

The  rain  had  soaked  through  their  provision  bags,  but  the 
bread  and  meat  in  the  centre  were  dry,  and  of  these  they 
made  a  hearty  meal,  and,  laying  the  wetted  food  round  the  fire 
to  dry,  they  wound  up  the  repast  with  a  long  draught  of  wine. 

"  Now,  as  soon  as  our  breeches  are  dry,  Master  Oswald, 
we  shall  be  thoroughly  comfortable." 

"  Yes,  one  can  wish  for  nothing  better.  But  we  must  not 
forget  that  some  Welshmen  may  come  along,  and  if  so,  will 
be  sure  to  want  to  know  what  is  inside." 


"sow,    I    THINK    WE    SHALL    DO,    ROGER.' 


KNIGHTED  291 

"Then,  unless  there  happen  to  be  more  than  a  dozen  of 
them,  their  curiosity  may  cost  them  dear,"  Roger  said  grimly. 
"  I  don't  think  there  is  much  fear  of  it.  We  have  neither  seen 
nor  heard  of  any  since  we  started,  and  it  would  be  evil  fortune 
indeed  if  a  party  happened  to  come  along  just  at  this  spot." 

"  The  fact  that  we  have  heard  no  one  is  a  bad  sign,  Roger, 
for  it  would  seem  to  show  that  we  must  have  gone  a  long  way 
out  of  our  course." 

The  rain  continued  to  fall  heavily  all  that  afternoon  and 
throughout  the  night,  and  no  change  of  the  weather  was 
discernible  the  next  morning. 

"  We  had  best  stop  here  for  another  day,  Roger,  unless  the 
sky  clears  ;  we  are  not  likely  to  find  so  good  a  place  for  shelter, 
and  it  is  of  no  use  to  wander  about  when  every  step  may  be 
taking  us  farther  away.  However,  we  can  climb  up  to  the  top 
of  this  hill,  at  whose  foot  we  are,  and  endeavour  to  get  a  view 
over  the  country." 

Roger  shook  his  head.  "  In  this  heavy  mist  we  should  not 
see  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  We  have  got  all  our  clothes  dry 
now,  and  it  would  be  a  pity  to  get  them  wet  again  without 
need  or  profit.  Anyhow,  we  will  find  some  more  of  those  fir 
cones,  our  supply  is  nearly  gone." 

In  half  an  hour  they  had  got  sufficient  to  last  them  all  day. 
There  was  nothing  for  them  then  to  do  but  sleep,  one  or  other 
keeping  watch,  so  as  to  prevent  the  chance  of  their  being 
surprised. 

Before  lying  down  for  the  night,  Roger  looked  out.  "  Me- 
thinks  that  the  rain  has  stopped,  though  it  would  be  difficult 
to  say,  for  the  drops  keep  pattering  down  from  the  trees. 
Well,  I  mightily  hope  that  it  will  be  a  fine  morning." 

Oswald  was  first  upon  his  feet,  and,  on  going  out  uttered  an 
exclamation  of  satisfaction.  The  morning  was  breaking,  and 
though  light  clouds  were  moving  across  the  sky  glimpses  of  the 


292  BOTH    SIDES    THE    BORDER 

blue  were  visible  here  and  there.  Already  the  light  showed 
where  the  sun  would  presently  rise.  Food  was  hastily  eaten, 
and  they  then  started  on  their  way  again.  There  could  be  no 
mistake  now  as  to  the  general  direction  ;  and,  keeping  the  sun 
on  their  right  hand,  they  made  their  way  north.  From  the 
top  of  a  hill  somewhat  higher  than  the  others,  they  caught  a 
view  of  Plinlimmon. 

"If  we  make  straight  for  it,"  Oswald  said,  "we  ought  to 
come  down  on  the  road  near  the  camp.  We  can  go  on  fear- 
lessly for  some  time,  for  the  Welsh  were  hardly  likely  to  be 
moving  about  yesterday  or  the  day  before,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  they  sheltered  themselves  as  best  they  could  in  arbours 
like  ours." 

After  walking  for  another  two  hours  they  heard  the  distant 
sound  of  a  trumpet. 

"  That  cannot  be  more  than  two  or  three  miles  away,  Roger. 
Now  we  shall  have  to  be  careful." 

They  had  walked  a  mile  when,  as  they  descended  into  a 
glen,  they  came  suddenly  on  a  party  of  twenty  Welshmen  sit- 
ting round  a  fire.  These  had  been  concealed  from  them  by 
the  thick  undergrowth,  and  were  not  twenty  yards  away  when 
they  first  saw  them.  The  Welsh  had  evidently  heard  them 
coming  by  the  rustle  of  leaves  and  the  breaking  of  twigs,  and 
two  or  three  were  standing  up  looking  in  their  direction 
when  they  caught  sight  of  them.  These  gave  a  loud  yell,  which 
brought  the  rest  to  their  feet. 

"  Run,  Roger,  run  ;  it  is  a  question  of  legs  now ;  "  and  turn- 
ing, they  darted  up  the  hill  they  had  just  descended.  Looking 
back  for  a  moment  as,  after  running  for  about  a  mile,  they 
reached  the  crest  of  a  swell,  Oswald  saw  that  five  of  their 
pursuers  had  distanced  their  comrades,  but  were  no  nearer 
than  when  they  started. 

"  I  think  we  can  hold  them,  Roger.     Take  it  a  little  more 


KNIGHTED  293 

easily  now.  We  are  all  right  as  far  as  speed  goes,  it  is  simply 
a  question  of  bottom." 

Their  pursuers,  however,  still  stuck  to  them,  and  after  run- 
ning for  another  half-mile  the  five  men  were  still  but  some 
thirty  yards  behind,  while  their  comrades'  shouts  could  be 
heard  through  the  forest,  and  from  time  to  time  the  men  close 
behind  them  joined  in  a  loud  quavering  cry. 

"  We  must  stand  and  rid  ourselves  of  these  fellows,  Roger, 
or  we  shall  have  half  the  Welsh  nation  down  on  us." 

"So  I  have  been  thinking  for  some  time." 

"  Don't  stop  suddenly.  We  will  slacken  our  pace,  and  they 
will  think  that  our  strength  is  failing,  and  will  redouble  their 
efforts.  Then  when  they  are  close  to  us  we  will  turn  sud- 
denly." 

They  heard  a  yell  of  exultation  as  their  pursuers  found  that 
they  were  gaining  upon  them.  "  Choose  a  clear  space,  Roger, 
with  room  to  swing  our  weapons." 

The  Welsh  were  running  in  a  close  body  but  ten  yards 
behind  them  when  they  arrived  at  a  spot  clear  of  trees. 

"  Now,  Roger  !  "  As  he  spoke,  Oswald  drew  his  sword  and 
swung  round  facing  his  pursuers,  while  Roger  did  the  same. 
The  Welsh,  taken  by  surprise,  endeavoured  to  check  themselves, 
but  before  they  could  do  so  Roger's  staff  fell  upon  the  head 
of  one  of  them,  while  Oswald  cleft  another  to  the  chin.  With 
the  quickness  of  an  adroit  player  with  the  quarter-staff,  Roger 
followed  up  his  blow  by  almost  instantaneously  driving  the 
other  end  of  the  staff  with  all  his  force  against  the  chest  of 
another  who  was  at  the  point  of  leaping  upon  him,  and  the 
man  fell  as  if  struck  with  a  thunderbolt.  So  swift  had  been 
the  movements  that  the  remaining  two  men  were  paralysed  by 
the  sudden  fall  of  their  companions,  but  before  they  could 
turn  to  fly  the  weapons  descended  again  with  as  fatal  result 
as  before. 


294  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  To  the  right !  "  Oswald  exclaimed,  and  he  dashed  off  into 
the  forest  again  at  a  right  angle  to  the  line  that  they  had  before 
taken.  A  minute  later  they  heard  an  outburst  of  yells  of 
fury  from  the  spot  they  had  quitted. 

"  I  don't  think  they  will  be  quite  so  ready  to  follow  now," 
Roger  said.  "  They  are  like  to  be  some  time  before  they  take 
up  our  track  again." 

"  We  will  break  into  a  walk  in  a  few  minutes,  Roger,  and 
then  go  along  quietly  and  keep  our  ears  open.  Their  yells  will 
be  bringing  others  down  from  all  directions,  and  we  might  run 
right  into  the  middle  of  another  party  if  we  kept  on  at  this 
rate." 

In  another  five  minutes  they  dashed  down  a  steep  descent, 
at  whose  foot  a  streamlet,  swelled  now  into  a  rushing  stream 
five  or  six  feet  wide,  was  running. 

"  We  will  follow  this  down,"  Oswald  said  as  he  stepped  into 
it.  It  was  a  little  over  two  feet  deep,  and  they  waded  along 
it  for  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  and  then  stepped  out  where 
some  rock  cropped  out  by  the  side  of  the  stream.  It  had  not 
yet  dried  after  the  rain,  and  their  feet  therefore  left  no  marks 
on  it. 

"That  was  a  sharp  run,  Roger,"  Oswald  said,  as  with  rapid 
but  stealthy  steps  they  strode  along. 

"Ay,  it  was.  My  breath  was  coming  short  when  you  gave 
the  word  to  stop.  Another  half-mile  would  have  finished  me. 
Those  Welshmen  run  well." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  we  should  have  beaten  them  easily 
enough  on  the  open  ground,  Roger,  but  they  are  more  accus- 
tomed to  this  forest  work  than  we  are.  Mind  where  you 
tread,  and  don't  put  your  foot  on  fallen  sticks.  There  must 
be  scores  of  them  in  the  forest  behind  yet,  though  I  don't 
think  that  they  have  struck  our  track.  The  nearest  must 
be  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.     I  am  not  afraid   of  their  over- 


KNIGHTED  295 

taking  us,  it  is  the  risk  of  falling  in  with  other  parties  that 
1  am  afraid  of." 

They  now  bore  away  to  the  right  again.  More  than  once 
they  heard  parties  moving  near  them,  and  stood  quiet  until 
their  voices  died  away,  which  they  quickly  did,  as  all  were 
hurrying  towards  the  spot  whence  the  shouting  still  continued. 

For  an  hour  they  kept  straight  onward,  and  then  the  trees 
thinned ;  and  as  they  stepped  out  from  the  edge  of  the  forest 
they  saw,  to  their  delight,  a  few  tents  in  front  of  them,  and 
a  large  number  of  soldiers  scattered  about.  As  they  were 
seen,  some  of  the  soldiers  caught  up  their  arms,  but  when 
they  saw  that  but  two  men  were  approaching  they  laid  them 
down  again,  and  proceeded  with  the  work  on  which  most  of 
them  were  engaged,  in  polishing  up  their  arms  and  armour, 
whose  brightness  had  been  grievously  dimmed  by  the  rain. 
A  sub-officer  with  four  men  came  up  to  them  as  they  reached 
the  line. 

"  Who  are  you,  sirs?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  am  an  esquire  of  Sir  Henry  Percy,  and  have  brought 
hither  a  letter  for  the  king."  The  man  looked  doubtfully  at 
him,  and  Oswald  continued,  "  I  know  not  whether  the  Earl  of 
Talbot  is  in  the  camp,  but  if  so  he  will,  I  think,  recognise 
me." 

"  The  earl  arrived  with  five  hundred  of  his  men  yesterday," 
the  officer  said  with  a  tone  of  more  respect  than  he  had  before 
used  ;  "  I  will  take  you  to  his  tent ;  "  and  he  led  the  way  to  a 
tent  pitched  a  short  distance  away  from  that  before  which  the 
royal  standard  waved.  Oswald  took  off  his  cloak,  which  was 
rolled  up  over  his  shoulder,  and  handed  it  to  Roger,  and  then 
opened  his  jerkin.  As  they  came  up  to  the  tent  the  front 
opened  and  the  earl  himself  came  out. 

"Whom  have  we  here?  "  he  asked  the  officer. 

"They  have  just  come  out  of  the  forest,  my  lord,  and  this 


296  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

gentleman  asked  to  be  taken  to  you,  saying  that  you  would 
recognise  him." 

The  earl  looked  scrutinisingly  at  Oswald.  "  I  seem  to  know 
your  face,  sir,"  he  said,  "  but  I  cannot  recall  where  I  have 
seen  it." 

"My  name  is  Oswald  Forster,  an  esquire  of  Sir  Henry 
Percy.  I  joined  you  at  Chester,  my  Lord  Talbot,  with  a  band 
of  his  men,  and  some  of  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer's,  led  by  one 
of  his  knights." 

"  I  remember  now,"  the  earl  said.  "  Yes,  I  see  you  wear 
the  Percy  badge ;  but  how  have  you  got  here,  and  why  have 
you  come?" 

"  I  come  as  a  simple  messenger,  my  lord.  A  royal  courier 
arrived  at  Ludlow,  with  a  letter  from  London  for  the  king. 
His  majesty  had  laid  his  commands  on  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer 
that  he  was  not  to  weaken  his  force  by  a  single  lance,  and  as, 
for  aught  Sir  Edmund  knew,  the  letter  might  be  of  great  im- 
portance, I  volunteered  to  endeavour  to  carry  it  through, 
taking  with  me  only  this  man-at-arms,  on  whom  I  could  wholly 
rely,  whatever  might  happen,  he  having  accompanied  me  on 
more  than  one  dangerous  expedition.  Sir  Edmund  consented. 
We  rode  first  to  Shrewsbury  to  obtain  information  as  to  the 
course  the  king  had  taken.  At  Welshpool  we  left  our  horses 
behind  us,  thinking  it  easier  to  make  our  way  through  the 
woods  on  foot,  seeing  that  the  roads  were  said  to  be  beset  by 
the  Welsh.  So  we  reached  Llanidloes,  and  then  hearing  where 
the  king  was  then  posted  from  a  convoy  of  wounded  that  had 
been  brought  in  that  day,  and  who  had  been  attacked  and 
very  hardly  treated  as  they  came  along,  we  thought  to  make  a 
detour  through  the  woods  so  as  to  get  behind  any  Welshmen 
who  might  be  watching  the  road. 

"  Unfortunately  in  the  storm  of  rain,  having  no  guide,  we 
lost  our  way,  and  were  so  detained  near  two  days  in  the  forest. 


KNIGHTED  297 

This  morning  the  weather  having  changed  and  the  sun  come 
out,  we  learned  the  direction  that  we  must  take.  On  the  way 
we  fell  in  with  a  party  of  some  twenty  Welshmen  who  pursued 
us  hotly;  we  outran  all  but  five.  As  their  shouts  would  have 
brought  large  numbers  upon  us,  we  stopped  and  slew  them, 
and  though  search  was  hot  for  us  we  succeeded  in  making  our 
way  through  without  adventure,  until  we  came  out  from  the 
forest  close  by." 

"  Truly  it  was  an  adventure  of  great  peril,"  the  earl  said, 
"  for  the  Welsh  are  swarming  round  us,  though  we  see  nought 
of  them  when  we  are  once  in  the  saddle.  Assuredly  you 
would  never  have  got  through,  even  as  far  as  Llanidloes,  if 
you  had  followed  the  road  on  horseback,  for  the  last  party  that 
came  along  brought  word  that  the  Welsh  had  felled  trees  across 
it  in  many  places,  and  had  broken  down  the  bridges.  It 
was  a  gallant  exploit,  sir.  I  will  myself  take  you  in  to  the 
king." 

Oswald  took  off  his  jerkin. 

"  I  am  but  in  poor  plight  to  show  myself  before  his  majesty," 
he  said  as  he  handed  it  to  Roger. 

"Ah!  I  remember  this  good  fellow,"  the  earl  said.  "  He 
is  not  one  easily  forgotten,  for  't  is  seldom  one  sees  so  stout  a 
man-at-arms.  As  to  your  dress,  't  is  nought,  and  indeed  it 
is  in  better  order  than  most  in  camp,  for  the  soldiers  have  no 
tents,  and  have  for  the  last  forty-eight  hours  been  over  their 
ankles  in  mud  and  water.  Have  you  been  with  Mortimer  ever 
since  we  harried  Glendower's  valley?  " 

"  No,  my  lord,  I  returned  after  that  to  the  north,  and  was 
at  Alnwick  for  nine  months.  Then  Sir  Henry  sent  me  back 
again  to  Ludlow,  in  order  that  I  might  keep  him  well  informed 
of  the  extent  of  this  rebellion,  concerning  which  but  few  tidings 
came  to  him." 

They  had  by  this  time  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  the  king  3 


298  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

tent.     The  two  sentries  on  duty  there  stood  back  and  saluted 
as  the  earl  entered,  followed  by  Oswald. 

"  This,  sire,  is  a  messenger,  one  Master  Oswald  Forster,  an 
esquire  of  Sir  Henry  Percy's.  He  had  been  sent  by  his  lord 
to  Ludlow  to  keep  him  acquainted  with  the  extent  of  this  re- 
bellion. Some  few  days  since  a  royal  messenger  reached  the 
town  with  a  letter  for  you,  as  doubtless  in  London  they  cannot 
have  known  which  way  you  were  marching,  and  directed  it 
there,  so  that  it  might  be  forwarded  to  you  thence.  Sir 
Edmund,  having  your  royal  order  not  to  send  any  force  away, 
would  have  been  at  a  loss  how  to  forward  it,  deeming  that  it 
would  need  a  strong  body  of  men-at-arms  to  penetrate  to  you, 
as  he  knew  from  what  had  happened  on  the  two  last  expedi- 
tions that  the  Welsh,  being  unable  to  oppose  your  advance, 
would  swarm  behind  you  so  as  to  prevent  reinforcements  or 
convoys  of  provisions  from  reaching  you.  He  was,  therefore, 
doubtful  as  to  what  course  to  adopt,  when  this  gentleman 
volunteered  to  carry  it  to  you ;  and  this  he  has  accomplished, 
attended  by  but  a  single  follower.  Knowing  that  he  could 
only  hope  to  reach  you  on  foot,  he  and  his  man-at-arms  left 
their  horses  at  Welshpool,  and  have  made  their  way  through 
"the  woods  on  foot,  not  without  adventure,  having  lost  their 
way  in  the  storm,  and  having  slept  in  the  wood  for  two  days 
and  killed  five  Welshmen,  scarcely  escaping  a  crowd  of  others 
as  they  came  in." 

"  A  very  gallant  deed,  sir,"  the  king  said  to  Oswald  as  the 
latter  bent  upon  one  knee  and  handed  the  letter  to  him.  "  By 
Our  Lady,  it  was  no  slight  thing  to  venture  through  the  woods, 
swarming  with  these  wild  Welshmen.  How  long  have  you 
been  an  esquire  to  Percy  ?  " 

"  Over  three  years,  sire." 

"  I  met  Master  Forster  at  Chester,"  the  earl  said.  "  He 
commanded  a  score  of  Percy's  men,  and  rode  with  us  when  we 


KNIGHTED  299 

captured  Glendower's  house.  The  knights  with  him  told  me 
that  he  and  his  little  band  had  done  excellent  service  in  the 
fight  when  the  Welsh  made  their  first  irruption,  and  that  Sir 
Henry  Percy  had  written  in  the  warmest  terms  to  Mortimer, 
saying  that  the  gentleman  stood  high  in  his  regard,  and  that 
he  had  the  most  perfect  confidence  in  him,  and  had  selected 
him  for  the  service  since  he  was  able  to  write  well,  and  could, 
therefore,  communicate  freely  with  him  as  to  the  troubles  on 
the  Welsh  border." 

"And  have  you  been  at  Mortimer's  ever  since  that  time?" 
the  king  asked. 

Oswald  noticed  that  each  time  Mortimer's  name  was  men- 
tioned the  king's  brow  was  somewhat  clouded. 

"  Not  so,  your  Majesty.  I  returned  to  the  north  with 
Percy's  men  a  few  days  after  the  capture  of  Glendower's  house. 
I  came  back  to  Ludlow  in  the  spring." 

"  Why  did  Sir  Henry  Percy  despatch  you  there  again?  "  the 
king  asked  sharply. 

"  From  what  he  said,  sire,  it  was  because  he  was  anxious  to 
know  whether  the  rebellion  was  growing,  fearing  that  there 
might  be  some  correspondence  between  Glendower  and  the 
Scots ;  and  that  if  it  should  come  to  a  point  when  you  might 
have  to  lead  the  whole  force  of  the  south  to  put  the  Welsh 
down,  the  Scots  might  make  a  great  irruption  into  the  north- 
ern counties,  and  it  would  be  needful  for  him  to  keep  a  larger 
body  of  men  than  usual  under  arms,  as  the  earl,  his  father,  and 
the  Earl  of  Westmoreland  would  have  to  stand  the  whole  brunt 
of  the  matter  for  a  time  without  aid  from  the  south." 

The  king's  brow  cleared. 

"  It  was  a  thoughtful  act  of  Sir  Henry,"  he  said  ;  "  and  't  is 
like  enough  that  the  Scots  will,  as  you  say,  take  advantage  of 
our  troubles  here,  and  it  is  well  therefore  that  the  Lords  of  the 
Northern  Marches  should  hold  themselves  in  readiness.    What 


300  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

think  you,  Talbot?  It  seems  to  me  that  the  bold  service  this 
esquire  has  performed  merits  reward." 

"  I  think  so  indeed,"  the  earl  said.  "  It  was  a  singular  act 
of  courage." 

The  king  drew  his  sword  from  his  scabbard.  "  Kneel,  sir," 
he  said.  And  as  Oswald  knelt  the  king  laid  the  sword  across 
his  shoulder  and  said,  "  Rise,  Sir  Oswald  Forster." 

Oswald  rose. 

"  I  thank  you,  my  Lord  King,"  he  said,  "  and  trust  that  I 
may  live  for  many  years  to  do  worthy  knightly  service  to  my 
liege,  who  has  so  highly  honoured  me." 

"  My  lord,"  the  king  said  to  Talbot,  "  I  leave  it  to  you  to 
see  that  this  young  knight  is  provided  with  horse  and  armour. 
Unfortunately  there  is  more  than  one  suit  without  an  owner 
at  present.  You  will  do  well  to  wait  with  me  while  I  open 
this  letter,  which  maybe  contains  matter  of  moment." 

Feeling  that  his  audience  was  over,  Oswald  bowed  deeply 
and  left  the  tent  to  rejoin  Roger. 

"What  said  the  king,  master?" 

"  He  spoke  much  more  highly  of  what  we  had  done,  Roger, 
than  it  deserved,  and  as  a  reward  for  the  service  he  has  just 
knighted  me." 

"  I  think  that  he  has  done  well,  master  !  "  Roger  exclaimed 
joyously.  "  I  had  hoped  that  Hotspur  would  have  done  it 
after  that  adventure  with  the  Bairds,  of  which,  as  Alwyn  told 
me,  he  spoke  to  him  in  tones  of  wondrous  praise." 

"  That  was  a  private  business,  Roger,  and  he  would  know 
that  I  would  much  rather  that,  when  knighthood  came,  I  should 
receive  it  for  service  in  the  field.  The  king  regards  our  com- 
ing here  as  a  service  to  himself,  and  therefore  rewarded  me  ; 
but  I  would  rather  that  it  should  have  been  for  service  in 
the  field  against  the  enemy  than  for  tramping  through  the 
forest." 


KNIGHTED  301 

"  Yes,  but  a  forest  full  of  Welshmen,"  Roger  said,  "  who  are 
more  to  be  feared  in  that  way  than  when  met  in  open  fight." 

"  Earl  Talbot  spoke  very  kindly  of  me,  and  said  that  he  had 
heard  that  with  Percy's  men  I  had  done  good  service  in  that 
fight  with  the  Welsh  near  Knighton." 

"  That  was  certainly  pretty  hot  work,  master  —  I  shall  get 
to  say  Sir  Oswald  in  time,  but  at  present  my  tongue  is  not 
used  to  it.     What  are  we  to  do  now?" 

"  The  king  asked  Lord  Talbot  to  provide  me  with  armour 
and  a  horse,  so  we  must  wait  until  he  comes  this  way." 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  the  earl  came  out. 

"The  letter  was  of  importance,"  he  said,  "and  it  is  well 
that  it  was  brought  on.  Now,  Sir  Oswald,  let  us  see  to  your 
matter.  Two  days  ago  Sir  William  Baxter  was  killed  by  a 
sudden  attack  of  the  Welsh  while  he  was  burning  a  village. 
His  men  rallied,  beat  off  the  Welsh,  and  brought  his  body  in, 
and  methinks  his  armour  will  fit  you,  though  he  was  shorter 
by  two  or  three  inches  than  yourself." 

He  accompanied  Oswald  to  one  of  a  small  group  of  tents 
standing  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther  down  the  road. 

"Is  Sir  William  Baxter's  squire  here?" 

A  young  man  at  once  came  up.  "  I  was  his  esquire,  my 
lord." 

"  I  have  the  king's  orders,"  the  earl  said,  "  that  his  arms, 
armour,  and  horses  are  to  be  handed  over  forthwith  to  Sir 
Oswald  Forster  here,  who  will  take  command  of  his  troop. 
He  will  take  over  all  the  other  belongings  of  the  knight." 

The  young  squire  bowed.  "  I  will  hand  them  over  to  you, 
sir." 

"  You  will,  of  course,  take  possession  of  the  tent  also,  Sir 
Oswald.  Sir  William  was  one  of  my  knights.  He  was  un- 
wedded,  and  has  no  male  kin  ;  therefore  you  need  have  no 
hesitation  in  taking  his  belongings,  which  indeed  we  should  in 


302  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

any  case  have  little  chance  of  taking  back  with  us,  for  our 
waggons  are  but  few  and  will  daily  become  fewer ;  for  on  such 
roads  as  these  both  waggons  and  horses  break  down,  and  it 
will  be  as  much  as  we  can  do  to  carry  even  necessities  with  us. 
Come  to  my  tent  at  noon,  it  lacks  but  an  hour  of  it,  and  I  will 
present  you  at  dinner  to  some  of  my  knights,  among  whom  for 
the  present  I  shall  rank  you." 

So  saying  he  turned  away.  The  young  squire  held  open 
the  entrance  of  the  tent  for  Oswald  to  enter,  and  followed  him 
in. 

"  It  seems  a  strange  thing  to  be  thus  possessed  of  another 
man's  goods,"  he  said. 

"  It  is  often  so,"  the  squire  said,  "  and  sometimes  even  his 
estates  go  with  them  also ;  as  the  earl  said,  Sir  William  Baxter 
had  none  to  whom  these  things  could  have  been  given,  seeing 
that  he  had,  so  far  as  I  know,  only  one  sister,  to  whom  armour 
and  horses  could  be  of  no  use.  She  is  one  of  the  Countess  of 
Talbot's  ladies." 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  do  yourself?  " 

"  For  the  present  I  know  not,"  the  squire  said.  "  I  had 
been  with  Sir  William  Baxter  but  three  years.  The  knight  I 
served  with  before  was  thrown  from  his  horse  and  killed,  and 
Sir  William,  who  had  been  just  knighted,  took  me  into  his 
service." 

"How  long  have  you  been  a  squire?  " 

"  Six  years,  and  I  hoped  that  in  this  campaign  I  might  have 
done  something  to  win  my  spurs." 

"  I  am  but  a  poor  knight,  Master  —  "  and  he  paused. 

"  Henry  Pemberton,"  the  squire  said. 

"  And  being  but  knighted  to-day,  and  having  no  lands  to 
keep  up  my  knighthood,  it  may  be  that  the  earl  will  appoint 
you  to  another  of  his  knights  ;  but  should  he  not  do  so  I  shall 
be  glnd  if,  for  the  rest  of  this  campaign,  you  will  ride  with  me, 


KNIGHTED  303 

and  trust  that  you  too  may  have  an  opportunity  of  gaining 
knighthood  before  it  is  over.  But  whether  or  no,  as  soon  as 
we  cross  the  border  again  I  doubt  not  that  you  will  be  able  to 
find  some  lord  under  whom  you  may  gain  advancement." 

"  I  will  gladly  do  so,  Sir  Oswald.  Tis  strange  that  I  should 
not  have  seen  your  face  before,  for  since  we  left  Worcester  I 
have  come  to  know  the  greater  part  of  the  esquires  here." 

"  I  arrived  but  an  hour  ago,"  Oswald  replied,  "  having  made 
my  way  through  the  Welsh  on  foot  with  that  tall  fellow  you 
saw  without." 

"  That  was  a  dangerous  deed,  truly,"  Pemberton  said  in 
tones  of  surprise.  "  May  I  ask  you  why  you  essayed  so 
perilous  a  feat?  " 

"  I  was  the  bearer  of  a  despatch  for  the  king.  I  was  an 
esquire  to  Sir  Henry  Percy,  but  have  for  some  time  been  stay- 
ing with  his  brother-in-law,  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer.  Had  Sir 
William  a  man-at-arms  who  served  as  his  servant?  for  I  shall 
make  my  man-at-arms,  who  has  gone  through  many  adventures 
with  me,  has  fought  by  my  side,  and  saved  my  life,  my  second 
squire." 

"  Yes,  a  very  good  and  trusty  fellow." 

"  Then  of  course  I  shall  keep  him  on.  Now,  will  you  tell 
my  man  to  come  in?  " 

"  Roger,"  he  said,  "  you  doubtless  heard  the  earl's  words, 
and  I  am  now  master  of  this  tent,  together  with  the  armour, 
horses,  and  clothes  of  Sir  William  Baxter.  Master  Henry 
Pemberton  will  act  as  my  squire  during  the  campaign.  You 
will  be  my  second  squire." 

"  Well,  master,  I  never  looked  so  high  as  to  become  an 
esquire,  and  would  rather  remain  a  simple  man-at-arms  were 
it  not  that  it  will  keep  me  near  you." 

"You  will  find  Roger  a  good  comrade,  Master  Pemberton. 
He  has  been  a  man-at-arms  at  his  own  choice,  for,  as  he  can 


304  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

read  and  write  as  well  as  any  clerk,  he  might  have  done  better 
for  himself." 

Pemberton  looked  with  some  surprise  at  Roger.  He  him- 
self had  not  these  accomplishments,  and  he  was  surprised  at 
finding  a  man-at-arms  so  well  endowed. 

"As  you  may  tell  by  his  speech,"  Oswald  went  on,  "he  is, 
like  myself,  a  Northumbrian,  and  has  done  good  service  in  the 
wars  with  the  Scots." 

"That  I  can  well  imagine,"  the  squire  said  with  a  smile. 
"  I  would  certainly  wish  for  no  stouter  comrade." 

"  We  must  see  about  arms  and  armour  for  you,  Roger," 
Oswald  said. 

"There  will  be  no  difficulty  about  that,  none  whatever, 
Sir  Oswald.  We  have  lost  fully  three  hundred  men  since  we 
crossed  the  border,  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  since  we  came 
here  four  days  since.  There  is  a  pile  of  harness  and  arms 
lying  by  the  roadside,  and  there,  methinks,  it  is  likely  it  will 
lie.  You  have  but  to  go  with  him  when  you  have  attired 
yourself  and  buckled  on  spurs,  and  you  can  pick  and  choose 
among  it ;  assuredly  no  one  will  gainsay  you." 

Oswald  now  changed  his  attire.  The  clothes  were  hand- 
some and  fitted  him  well.  Then  he  buckled  on  the  golden 
spurs,  put  on  the  knightly  armour,  for  he  had  observed  that 
the  earl  and  the  knights  that  he  had  seen  in  the  camp  all  kept 
on  full  armour,  being  ever  in  expectation  of  sudden  attack. 

"  Truly  you  make  a  handsome  figure,  Sir  Oswald,"  said 
Roger,  who  had  been  assisting  him.  "  Little  did  I  think 
when  I  used  to  rail  at  you  at  your  books  that  you  would  grow 
into  so  stalwart  a  man,  and  that  I  should  follow  you  in  the 
field  as  your  squire.  Your  armour  fits  you  as  if  made  for  you, 
save  that  these  cuishes  scarce  meet  your  body  armour.  In 
truth,  though  bad  for  him,  it  was  lucky  for  you  that  the  master 
of  this  tent  came  to  his  death  when  he  did." 


KNIGHTED  305 

"  I  like  a  steel  cap  better  than  this  helmet,  though  I  say  not 
that  it  looks  so  well." 

"  Not  by  a  long  way,"  Roger  said.  "  Nought  could  become 
you  better.     What  cognisance  do  you  mean  to  take?" 

"  I  have  not  thought  about  it  yet ;  there  will  be  time  enough 
for  that  after  the  war  is  over." 

"  Well,  at  any  rate,  master,  I  will  to-day  set  about  getting 
Sir  William  Baxter's  off  the  shield.  Methinks  that  with  some 
sand  from  the  river  bed  I  shall  be  able  to  manage  it  with 
an  hour's  rubbing." 

"  Now,  come  along,  Roger,  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost,  for  I 
dine  at  midday  with  the  Earl  of  Talbot.  Master  Pemberton 
will  show  us  where  the  armour  is  lying." 

There  was  indeed  a  large  pile.  Oswald  then  said,  "  As  you 
are  known,  Master  Pemberton,  you  had  better  stop  here,  for 
it  will  take  some  picking  before  Roger  is  suited.  As  it  is  but 
two  minutes  to  twelve,  I  must  hurry  back  to  Lord  Talbot's 
tent." 

Some  seven  or  eight  knights  were  already  there.  Lord 
Talbot  introduced  him  to  them,  and,  as  rhey  dined,  Oswald 
related  at  their  request  more  particularly  how  he  had  got 
through  the  Welsh,  —  a  task  that  seemed  to  them  well-nigh 
impossible,  since  the  soldiers  dared  not  venture  even  to  the 
edge  of  the  forest,  so  thickly  were  the  Welsh  posted  there. 

"  That  man-at-arms  must  be  a  stalwart  fellow  indeed,"  said 
one,  "  to  kill  three  Welshmen  with  nought  but  a  quarter- 
staff." 

"If  you  had  seen  the  man  and  the  staff,  Sir  Victor,  you 
would  not  be  surprised,"  Lord  Talbot  said.  "  He  stands  some 
six  feet  four,  and  has  shoulders  that  might  rival  Samson's.  As 
to  his  quarter-staff,  I  marked  it.  It  was  of  oak,  and  full  two 
inches  across,  and  a  blow  with  it  from  such  arms  would  crack 
an  iron  casque,  to  say  nothing  of  a  Welsh  skull." 

JO 


306  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

GLENDOWER 

FOR  the  next  ten  days  the  weather  was  so  bad  that  no 
operations  could  be  carried  on.  Every  little  stream  was 
swollen  to  a  raging  torrent.  Horses,  carrying  men  in  full 
armour,  could  scarce  keep  their  feet  on  the  slippery  moor, 
and  even  the  footmen  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  getting 
about ;  and  all  excursions  were  given  up,  for  the  Welsh,  bare- 
footed and  unweighted  with  armour,  would  have  been  able  to 
fall  upon  them  to  great  advantage,  and  could  then  evade  pur- 
suit with  ease.  The  number  of  sick  increased  rapidly,  and  it 
became  necessary  to  send  another  convoy  back  to  Llanidloes, 
where  the  guard  were  to  join  the  force  that  had  gone  there 
ten  days  before,  and  to  escort  some  waggons  of  flour  and  a 
number  of  cattle  that  had  been  brought  there  from  Welshpool 
by  a  strong  levy  from  Shropshire. 

Ten  knights,  a  hundred  mounted  men-at-arms,  as  many  on 
foot,  and  fifty  archers  were  considered  sufficient  to  escort  the 
sick,  who,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred,  were  closely  packed 
in  the  ten  waggons  that  were  to  return  with  flour.  Three  of 
Lord  Talbot's  knights  were  to  form  part  of  the  escort,  and 
among  these  Oswald  was  chosen  by  the  earl.  It  was  hoped 
that  the  convoy  would  reach  the  town  without  being  attacked, 
for  great  pains  had  been  taken  to  prevent  the  news  of  its 
approaching  departure  getting  about,  for  there  were  many 
Welshmen  in  the  camp  employed  in  looking  after  the  baggage 
animals  and  in  other  offices.  They  had  all  been  hired  for  the 
service  on  the  other  side  of  the  border,  but  it  was  believed 
that  some  of  them  at  least  must  be  in  communication  with  the 


GLENDOWER  307 

enemy,  who  were  thereby  enabled  to  gather  in  force  to  oppose 
any  parties  who  sallied  out  from  the  camp. 

The  consequence  was  that,  until  half  an  hour  before  it  left, 
none  save  a  few  of  the  leaders  were  aware  of  the  starting  of 
the  convoy.  Then  orders  were  rapidly  issued ;  the  knights 
and  men-at-arms  who  had  been  selected  for  the  service  had 
but  a  few  minutes  to  prepare  themselves.  The  horses  were 
harnessed  to  the  waggons,  and  the  sick  and  wounded  carried 
out  and  placed  in  them  with  the  greatest  expedition,  and  the 
party  set  out  in  less  than  half  an  hour  after  the  first  order 
had  been  given.  It  had  gone  but  a  quarter  of  a  mile  when 
the  shouts  among  the  woods  on  either  side  showed  that  the 
Welsh  were  vigilant.  Horns  were  blown  in  all  directions,  the 
sound  growing  fainter  and  fainter  in  the  hills. 

"  We  shall  not  get  through  undisturbed,"  one  of  the  knights 
said  to  Oswald,  who  was  riding  next  to  him. 

"  No,  I  think  we  shall  have  fighting.  It  would  have  been 
better  had  we  and  the  men-at-arms  been  told  to  leave  our 
horses  behind.  In  this  deep  soil  they  will  be  of  little  use  in  a 
fight,  and  we  should  do  better  on  foot." 

"  It  would  be  terrible  marching  in  our  heavy  armour." 

"  Doubtless  it  would  have  been  so,  but  I  should  not  have 
minded  that.  The  distance  is  but  six  miles,  and  although  in 
this  slippery  plain  the  toil  would  have  been  great,  methinks 
that  we  could  have  made  a  better  fight  than  on  horseback ; 
and  as  these  waggons  travel  but  slowly,  we  could  have  kept  up 
with  them." 

"  We  can  dismount  if  necessary,"  the  knight  said  ;  "  but,  for 
my  part,  I  would  rather  ride  than  tramp  through  this  deep  mud." 

Their  progress  was  indeed  slow,  the  waggons  frequently  sank 
almost  up  to  their  axles  in  the  mud,  and  it  needed  all  the 
efforts  of  the  dismounted  men  to  get  them  out.  A  deep  si- 
lence had  succeeded  the  outcry  in  the  woods. 


308  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"  I  like  not  this  silence,  Sir  Oswald,"  the  knight  said,  when 
after  an  hour's  hard  work  they  were  still  but  two  miles  from 
the  camp. 

"  Nor  do  I,"  Oswald  said  ;  "  it  seems  unnatural.  Do  you  not 
think,  Sir  William,  that  it  would  be  well  if  all  were  to  take 
the  picket  ropes  from  their  horses'  necks  and  knot  them  two 
and  two,  fastening  one  end  to  a  waggon  and  the  other  to  a 
horse's  girth?  In  that  way  fifty  men-at-arms  might  be  roped 
on  to  the  waggons,  and  would  aid  those  drawing  them  greatly." 

"  The  idea  is  a  very  good  one,"  the  knight  said.  He  rode 
forward  to  Sir  Eustace  de  Bohun,  who  was  in  command,  and 
informed  him  of  Oswald's  suggestion,  which  was  at  once 
adopted.  As  soon  as  it  was  carried  out  the  dismounted  men 
were  ordered  to  push  behind  the  waggons,  which  now  pro- 
ceeded at  a  much  faster  rate  than  before.  They  were  just 
half-way  to  the  town,  and  beginning  to  entertain  hopes  that 
they  should  get  through  without  being  attacked,  when  a  horn 
sounded,  and  from  the  forest  on  both  sides  a  crowd  of  men 
rushed  out  and  poured  a  volley  of  arrows  into  the  convoy. 
Hasty  orders  were  shouted  by  Sir  Eustace,  the  ropes  were 
thrown  off,  and  the  troops  formed  up  in  a  double  line  on  each 
side  of  the  waggons. 

The  knights  and  mounted  men  formed  the  outside  line,  and 
the  footmen  stood  a  pace  or  two  behind  them,  so  as  to  cover 
them  from  attack  should  the  Welsh  break  through.  Oswald's 
esquire  was  on  one  side  of  him,  Roger  on  the  other.  The 
waggons  continued  to  move  forward,  for  at  this  point  the  road 
was  better,  running  across  a  bare  rock,  and  the  horses  were 
therefore  able  to  draw  them  along  without  any  assistance.  Sir 
Eustace  therefore  gave  the  order  for  the  escort  to  continue 
their  way,  marching  on  each  side  of  the  train. 

"We  must  fight  our  way  through,  men,"  he  showed;  "  every 
minute  will  doubtless  add  to  their  numbers." 


GLENDOWER  809 

For  a  short  time  the  arrows  flew  fast.  But  the  Welsh  bows 
were  not  to  be  compared  in  point  of  strength  with  those  used 
by  the  English  archers,  and  the  arrows  fell  harmlessly  upon  the 
armour  of  the  men-at-arms,  while  on  the  other  hand  the  Eng- 
lish archers  shot  so  strongly  and  truly  that  after  a  short  time 
the  Welsh  bowmen  fell  back.  As  they  did  so,  however,  a  crowd 
of  footmen  poured  out  from  the  forest,  and  with  loud  shouts 
and  yells  rushed  forward. 

"  Halt  the  waggons  !  "  Sir  Eustace  cried.  "  Keep  good 
order,  men,  and  we  shall  soon  drive  this  rabble  off." 

The  archers  had  time  but  to  send  three  flights  of  arrows 
among  their  assailants  when  these  threw  themselves  upon  the 
line.  They  were  armed  with  short  axes,  heavy  clubs,  and 
other  rough  weapons,  and  for  a  time  the  horsemen  kept  their 
order  and  beat  them  back ;  but  as  the  horns  continued  to 
sound  the  Welsh  swarmed  down  in  such  numbers  that  they 
broke  in  between  their  mounted  foes,  some  trying  to  tear  them 
from  their  saddles,  while  others  crept  beneath  the  horses  and 
drove  their  long  knives  into  their  stomachs,  or  tried  to  ham- 
string them  with  their  axes.  Then  the  dismounted  men-at- 
arms  joined  in  the  fight,  and  drove  the  enemy  back  beyond 
the  line.  Many  of  the  horsemen  were,  however,  dismounted ; 
these  joined  their  mounted  comrades  when  Sir  Eustace  gave 
the  word  to  charge  the  multitude  before  they  could  rally  for  a 
fresh  attack. 

The  Welsh  went  down  in  numbers  before  their  lances,  but 
so  close  was  the  throng  that  the  horsemen  were  brought  to  a 
stand,  and  slinging  their  spears  behind  them  betook  themselves 
to  sword  and  mace.  Great  was  the  slaughter  of  their  opponents, 
but  these  pursued  their  former  tactics.  Horse  after  horse 
rolled  over  in  mortal  agony,  and  as  they  fell  the  riders  were 
stabbed  before  they  could  recover  their  feet.  Soon  they  were 
broken  up  into  knots,  and   their  dismounted  companions  with 


310  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

one  accord  left  the  waggons  and  rushed  into  the  fray,  for  a 
time  beating  back  the  Welsh. 

"  It  were  best  to  dismount,"  Oswald  cried,  and  he  swung 
himself  from  the  saddle  just  as  one  of  the  enemy  hamstrung 
his  horse.  Roger  and  the  squire  did  the  same,  and  joined 
the  ranks  of  the  footmen. 

"Keep  together  !  "  Oswald  shouted  to  those  within  hearing; 
"we  can  cut  ourselves  a  passage  through  in  that  way,  while 
separately  we  shall  perish." 

Ten  or  twelve  men  followed  his  orders,  and  gathering  in  a 
ring,  for  a  time  beat  off  every  attack.  Looking  round,  Oswald 
saw  that  scarce  a  man  remained  mounted.  The  shouts  of  the 
English  and  the  wild  war-cries  of  the  Welsh  rang  through  the 
air.  In  a  dozen  places  fierce  contests  were  raging  —  swords 
and  axes  rose  and  fell  on  helmet  and  steel  cap.  In  obedience 
to  the  shouts  of  Sir  Eustace,  who,  with  three  or  four  men-at- 
arms  around  him,  was  still  mounted,  the  English  bands  tried 
to  join  each  other,  and  in  several  cases  succeeded.  Oswald 
had  been  near  the  rear  of  the  convoy  when  the  fight  began,  and 
the  party  with  whom  he  fought  were  separated  by  some  dis- 
tance from  the  others,  and  the  prospect  became  more  and  more 
hopeless.  His  squire  had  fallen,  and  fully  half  the  men  who 
had  joined  him,  and  although  the  loss  of  the  Welsh  had  been 
many  times  as  great,  the  number  of  their  assailants  had  in  no 
way  diminished.  He  and  Roger  strove  in  vain  to  cut  a  way 
through,  and  their  height  and  strength  enabled  them  to  main- 
tain a  forward  movement,  their  opponents  shrinking  from  the 
terrible  blows  of  Roger's  mace  and  the  no  less  destructive  fall 
of  Oswald's  sword ;  but  the  men-at-arms  behind  them  fared 
worse,  having  to  retreat  with  their  face  to  the  foe,  and  more 
than  one,  falling  over  the  bodies  of  those  slain  by  their  leaders, 
were  stabbed  before  they  could  rise.  Several  times  the  two 
men  turned  and  covered  the  rear,  but  at  last  they  stood  alone. 


GLENDOWER  311 

.  "  Now,  make  one  effort  to  break  through,  Roger ; "  and  they 
flung  themselves  with  such  fury  upon  the  Welsh  that  for  some 
twenty  yards  they  cut  their  way  through  them.  Then  Roger 
exclaimed,  "I  am  done  for,  master,"  and  fell.  Oswald  stood 
over  him  and  for  a  time  kept  a  clear  circle  ;  then  he  received  a 
tremendous  blow  on  the  back  of  his  helmet  with  a  heavy  club 
and  fell  prostrate  over  Roger.  When  he  recovered  his  senses 
the  din  of  battle  had  moved  far  away.  The  other  groups  had 
gathered  together,  and  moving  down  had  joined  those  who 
still  resisted  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  and  keeping  in  a 
close  body  were  fighting  their  way  steadily  along.  A  number 
of  the  Welsh  were  going  over  the  battle-field  stabbing  all  whom 
they  found  to  be  still  living.  The  sick  men  in  the  waggons 
had  already  been  murdered. 

A  Welshman,  whose  appearance  denoted  a  higher  rank  than 
the  others,  approached  Oswald  as  soon  as  he  sat  up,  and  called 
to  four  or  five  of  his  countrymen.  Oswald  with  difficulty  rose 
to  his  feet.  He  still  wore  round  his  wrist  the  chain  that  Glen- 
dower's  daughter  had  given  him,  and  he  now  pulled  this  off  and 
held  it  up,  loudly  calling  out  the  name  of  Glendower  several 
times.  The  Welsh  leader  waved  his  followers  back.  Oswald 
was  unarmed  and  evidently  incapable  of  defending  himself. 
He  came  up  to  him.  Oswald  held  out  the  chain  :  "Glendower, 
Glendower,"  he  repeated.  The  man  took  the  chain  and  ex- 
amined it  carefully.  Some  Welsh  words  were  engraved  upon 
the  clasp.  Oswald  was  unaware  what  they  were,  but  the  words 
were,  "Jane  Glendower,  from  her  father."  The  Welshman 
looked  much  surprised,  and  presently  called  to  another  some 
distance  away.  The  man  came  up,  and  he  spoke  to  him  in 
Welsh. 

"How  did  you  obtain  this?"  the  man  asked  Oswald  in 
English. 

'■  It  was  given  in  token  of  service  rendered  by  me  and  my 


312  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

squire  here  to  Glendower's  daughter.  She  told  me  that  it* 
would  be  of  service  if  at  any  time  I  were  taken  prisoner  by 
her  father's  followers." 

This  was  translated  to  the  Welshman,  who  said  :  "  These 
men  must  be  taken  to  Glendower.  The  story  may  be  true  or 
not ;  the  chain  may  have  been  stolen.  At  any  rate,  the  prince 
must  decide  as  to  their  fate."  He  now  bade  the  men  round 
him  take  off  Oswald's  armour.  As  soon  as  this  was  done  the 
latter  knelt  down  by  Roger's  side,  and  removed  his  helmet.  An 
arrow  shot  from  behind  had  struck  Roger  just  above  the  back- 
piece — which,  being  short  for  him,  did  not  reach  to  his  helmet 
—  and  had  gone  through  the  fleshy  part  of  his  neck,  while  at 
the  same  moment  a  blow  with  an  axe  had  cleft  the  helmet  in 
sunder  and  inflicted  a  deep  gash  on  the  back  of  the  head.  At 
a  word  from  their  leader  the  men  at  once  aided  Oswald,  who 
drew  out  the  arrow.  The  wound  bled  but  slightly,  and  one  of 
the  Welshmen,  tearing  off  a  portion  of  his  garment,  bandaged 
it  up.  Water  was  fetched  from  the  stream  below,  and  a  pad 
of  wet  cloth  laid  on  the  wound  at  the  back  of  the  head,  and 
kept  in  its  place  by  bandages ;  as  this  was  done  Roger  gave  a 
faint  groan,  and  a  minute  after  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Do  not  try  to  move,  Roger,"  Oswald  said  ;  "  you  are 
wounded,  but  not,  I  trust,  to  death.  We  are  prisoners  in  the 
hands  of  the  Welsh,  but  that  chain  Glendower's  daughter  gave 
me  has  saved  our  lives." 

A  rough  litter  was  constructed  of  boughs ;  on  this  Roger, 
after  his  armour  had  been  taken  off,  was  laid.  At  their 
leader's  orders  six  Welshmen  took  it  up,  while  two  placed 
themselves  one  on  each  side  of  Oswald.  Then  the  leader 
took  the  head  of  the  party  and  moved  away  into  the  forest. 
Oswald's  head  still  swam  from  the  effects  of  the  blow,  but  as 
they  went  on  the  feeling  gradually  ceased,  and  he  was  able  to 
keep  up  with  his  captors.     Their  course  was  ever  uphill,  and 


GLENDOWER  313 

after  an  hour's  walking  they  arrived  at  a  farmhouse  situated 
just  at  the  upper  edge  of  the  forest.  The  litter  was  laid  down 
outside  the  house.  The  Welshman  went  in,  saying  something  to 
his  men,  who  at  once  sat  down  on  the  ground,  for  the  journey, 
with  Roger's  weight,  had  been  a  toilsome  one.  He  made  signs 
for  Oswald  to  seat  himself  by  the  side  of  Roger.  The  latter 
was  now  perfectly  sensible. 

"  What  has  happened,  master?  "  he  asked. 

"  We  have  been  badly  beaten,  Roger ;  but  when  I  last  saw 
them  our  men  had  got  together  and  were  fighting  their  way 
along  the  road.  I  fancy  more  than  half  have  been  killed,  but, 
as  far  as  I  could  see  of  the  field,  I  should  say  that  three  or  four 
times  as  many  Welsh  had  fallen." 

"  That  was  a  lucky  thought  of  yours,  Sir  Oswald,  about  that 
chain." 

"  I  had  always  an  idea  that  it  might  be  found  useful,  and  it 
at  once  occurred  to  me  as  soon  as  I  recovered  my  senses." 

"Are  you  wounded  too?  "  Roger  asked  anxiously. 

"  No ;  I  was  beaten  down  by  a  heavy  club,  and  my  head  still 
rings  from  the  blow,  otherwise  I  am  uninjured." 

"  What  has  happened  to  me,  master?  " 

"  You  had  an  arrow  through  your  neck,  Roger,  but  fortu- 
nately it  was  on  one  side  ;  an  inch  to  the  right  and  it  would 
have  struck  your  spine,  or  perhaps  gone  through  your  wind- 
pipe. As  it  is,  it  does  not  seem  to  have  done  much  harm. 
Very  little  blood  flowed  when  I  pulled  the  arrow  out.  You 
have  got  a  bad  gash  on  the  back  of  the  head,  but  your  head- 
piece broke  the  force  of  the  blow  ;  it  has  laid  your  skull  bare, 
but  has  not,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  penetrated  it." 

"Then  we  need  think  no  more  about  it,"  Roger  said. 
"  Well,  that  was  a  fight !  the  one  we  had  at  Knighton  was  as 
nothing  to  it." 

"  Yes,  I  think  that  even  you  could  not  want  a  harder  one, 
Roger." 


314  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

"  No ;  this  was  quite  enough  for  one  day's  work.  I  should 
like  a  drink  of  water  if  I  could  get  one." 

Oswald  made  signs  to  one  of  the  men,  who  went  into  the 
house  and  returned  with  a  large  jug  of  water,  of  which  Roger 
took  a  deep  draught,  and  Oswald  then  finished  the  contents, 
for  he  too  was  parched  with  thirst.  Half  an  hour  later,  a  tall 
man  in  full  armour,  followed  by  a  number  of  Welsh  chiefs, 
issued  from  the  forest.  He  was  some  five-and-forty  years  old 
and  of  noble  presence.  The  leader  of  the  party  who  had 
brought  Oswald  up  advanced  to  meet  him,  and  saluting  him 
most  respectfully,  spoke  to  him  for  a  moment,  and  then  pro- 
duced the  chain.  Glendower,  for  it  was  the  prince,  examined 
it,  and  then  at  once  walked  up  to  Oswald,  who  had  risen  to 
his  feet. 

"How  became  you  possessed  of  this,  Sir  Knight?" 

"  It  was  given  me  by  one  of  your  daughters,  sir.  I  and  my 
squire  here  were  on  guard  round  your  house  on  the  night  after 
the  Earl  of  Talbot  took  it.  We  were  at  some  distance  from  the 
other  guards  when  two  figures  rose  from  the  bushes  near  us. 
We  pursued  them,  and  coming  up  to  them  found  they  were 
two  ladies,  and  they  at  once  avowed  that  they  were  your 
daughters.  My  instructions  were  to  watch  and  see  that  no 
Welshmen  approached  the  house  ;  and  nought  had  been  said 
to  me  of  arresting  any  leaving  it,  seeing  that  it  was  not  sup- 
posed that  any  were  there.  I  war  not  with  women.  Being 
myself  from  Northumbria,  I  have  no  enmity  with  your  people, 
therefore  I  let  them  proceed  on  their  way,  —  a  breach  of  duty 
for  which,  doubtless,  I  should  have  suffered  had  it  been  known. 
Happily  none  but  my  follower  here,  who  was  then  but  a  man- 
at-arms  and  I  a  squire,  knew  of  it,  and  to  this  moment  I  have 
spoken  of  it  to  no  one.  As  they  left  us,  one  of  the  ladies  gave 
me  this  chain,  saying  that  some  day  it  might  be  of  use  to  me 
should  I  ever  fall  into  the   hands  of  their  people.     I  have 


GLENDOWER  315 

carried  it  on  my  wrist  ever  since ;  and  when  your  follower 
came  up,  and  I  saw  the  necessity  had  arisen,  I  showed  it  to 
him." 

"  I  have  heard  the  story  from  my  daughters,"  Glendower 
said  warmly,  holding  out  his  hand.  "They  told  me  how 
courteously  you  had  treated  them,  and  that  you  had  refused 
to  accept  the  jewels  they  offered  you.  They  said  that  you 
had  also  declined  to  tell  them  your  name,  as  it  might  do  you 
injury  should  it  become  known ;  and  I  have  often  regretted 
that  I  did  not  know  the  name  of  the  gentleman  who  had 
behaved  so  nobly  to  them,  and  had  saved  them  from  an  Eng- 
lish prison.  Had  they  been  captured,  it  would  have  been  a 
sore  blow  to  me,  not  only  in  my  affections  but  to  my  cause ; 
for  had  he  held  them  in  his  power,  Henry  could  have  put  a 
heavy  pressure  upon  me.  May  I  ask  now  what  is  your  name, 
Sir  Knight  ?  " 

"Sir  Oswald  Forster.  I  was  at  that  time  a  squire  of  Sir 
Henry  Percy's." 

"  Of  Hotspur  !  "  Glendower  said  in  surprise.  "  I  did  not 
know  that  we  had  levies  from  the  north  fighting  against  us." 

"  You  have  not,  sir.  I  had  simply  been  sent  with  twenty 
men-at-arms  by  Sir  Henry  to  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer  —  who  is, 
as  you  are  doubtless  aware,  of  kin  to  Sir  Henry,  who  had  married 
his  sister — and  was  sent  by  Sir  Edmund  to  join  the  Earl  of 
Talbot  and  Lord  Grey  when  they  made  that  foray  upon  your 
house.  After  that  I  returned  to  the  north,  but  was  some 
months  since  again  sent  to  Ludlow  to  keep  Sir  Henry  informed 
of  the  doings  on  this  border." 

"  But  I  had  heard  that  Mortimer  had  sent  no  troops  to 
Henry's  army." 

"  That  is  so,  sir.  I  am  here  by  an  accident.  A  despatch 
came  from  London  to  Ludlow  for  the  king,  and  as  there  was 
no  other  way  of  forwarding  it,  I  volunteered  to  carry  it  here, 


316  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

and  succeeded  in  doing  so ;  for  which  service  the  king 
conferred  knighthood  upon  me,  upon  my  arrival  ten  days 
since." 

"  Ah,  then,  it  was  you  that  I  heard  of !  I  was  told  that 
two  great  men  had  been  seen  in  the  woods  some  distance 
south  of  the  camp,  and  that  they  had  succeeded  in  making 
their  escape  after  slaying  five  of  my  followers,  and  that,  though 
none  knew  for  certain,  it  was  supposed  they  had  reached 
Henry's  camp." 

"  You  are  right,  sir ;  the  two  men  were  my  companion  here 
and  myself." 

"  It  was  a  notable  feat.  I  think  not  that  any  other  messen- 
ger has  got  through  my  scouts  since  the  king  left  Welshpool. 
You  must  be  swift  of  foot  as  well  as  brave  and  courteous,  for  I 
heard  that  you  had  outrun  the  greatest  part  of  those  who 
followed  you." 

"We  in  the  north  have  to  be  swift  of  foot,"  Oswald  said 
with  a  smile,  "  for  the  Scots  keep  us  in  practice,  either  in 
escaping  them  when  they  come  in  too  great  a  force  to  be 
resisted,  or  in  following  them  when  it  is  our  turn  to  pursue. 
I  trust,  sir,  that  you  will  put  myself  and  my  squire  to  ransom, 
and  will  take  my  word  for  the  payment,  for  until  I  go  north  I 
have  no  means  of  satisfying  it." 

"That  will  I  not,"  Glendower  said.  "Or  rather  I  will  take 
a  ransom,  since,  were  I  to  release  you  without  one,  it  might 
cause  surprise  and  inquiry ;  and  it  were  well  that  your  noble 
conduct  to  my  daughters  should  not  be  known,  for  Henry 
would  not  be  likely  to  regard  it  favourably.  Therefore  we 
will  put  you  to  ransom  at  the  sum  of  a  crown  for  yourself, 
and  a  penny  for  your  squire." 

"  I  thank  you  indeed,  sir,  and  shall  ever  feel  beholden  to 
you ;  and  I  will,  moreover,  give  you  my  knightly  word  that 
whatever  service   I   may  have  to  perform,  I  will  never  again 


GLENDOWER  317 

war  with  the  Welsh.  May  I  ask  if  any  of  our  party  succeeded 
in  reaching  Llanidloes?" 

"  Yes,  some  sixty  or  seventy  of  them  got  in.  They  fought 
very  well ;  and  indeed  in  close  combat  my  Welshmen  cannot 
at  present  hold  their  own  against  your  armour-clad  men. 
Still,  though  it  would  have  pleased  me  better  had  we  annihi- 
lated the  force,  our  success  has  been  sufficient  to  give  Henry 
another  lesson  that  though  he  may  march  through  Wales,  he 
holds  only  the  ground  on  which  he  has  encamped.  Now,  Sir 
Oswald,  I  pray  you  to  enter  my  abode.  'Tis  a  poor  place  in- 
deed, after  my  house  in  the  Vale  of  the  Bards,  but  it  suffices 
for  my  needs." 

Before  entering  he  gave  orders  that  Roger  should  be  carried 
to  an  upper  room,  and  despatched  a  messenger  to  order  his 
own  leech,  as  soon  as  he  had  done  with  the  wounded,  to  come 
up  and  attend  to  him.  Then  he  led  the  way  into  a  room, 
where  a  meal  was  prepared.  In  a  few  words  in  Welsh  he 
explained  to  his  chiefs,  who  had  been  much  surprised  at  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  received  Oswald,  that  the  young 
knight  had  at  one  time  rendered  a  great  service*  to  his  daugh- 
ters, Jane  and  Margaret,  but  without  mentioning  its  precise 
nature.  His  experience  had  taught  him  that  even  those 
most  attached  to  his  cause  might  yet  turn  against  him,  and 
were  they  to  relate  the  story,  it  might  do  serious  injury  to 
Oswald. 

"  You  must,  on  your  way  back,"  he  said  presently  to  the 
young  knight,  "  call  and  see  my  daughters,  who  are  at  present 
staying  with  their  sister,  who  is  married  to  Adda  ap  Iorwerth 
Ddu.  They  would  be  aggrieved  indeed  if  they  heard  that  you 
had  been  here,  and  that  I  had  not  given  them  the  opportunity 
of  thanking  yon  in  person." 

Oswald  remained  fir  a  fortnight  with  Glendower  while 
Roger's   wound    was    healing.     At   the   end   of   that   time   he 


318  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

learned  that  Henry,  having  marched  into  Cardigan  and  rav- 
aged the  country  there,  was  already  retiring,  his  army  having 
suffered  terribly  from  the  effects  of  the  weather,  the  impossi- 
bility of  obtaining  supplies,  and  the  constant  and  harassing 
attacks  by  the  Welsh.  Glendower  was  often  absent,  but  when 
at  the  house  he  conversed  freely  with  Oswald,  who  was  no 
longer  surprised  at  the  influence  that  he  had  obtained  over  his 
countrymen.  His  manners  were  courteous  in  the  extreme, 
and  his  authority  over  his  followers  absolute.  They  not  only 
reverenced  him  as  their  prince,  the  representative  of  their 
ancient  kings,  and  their  leader  in  war,  but  as  one  endowed 
with  supernatural  power. 

The  bards  had  fanned  this  feeling  to  the  utmost  by  their 
songs  of  marvels  and  portents  at  his  birth,  and  by  attributing 
to  him  a  control  even  over  the  elements.  This  belief  was  not 
only  of  great  importance  to  him,  as  binding  his  adherents 
closer  to  him,  but  it  undoubtedly  contributed  to  his  success 
from  the  fact  of  its  being  fully  shared  in  by  the  English 
soldiery,  who  assigned  it  as  the  cause  of  the  exceptionally  bad 
weather  that  had  been  experienced  in  each  of  the  three  ex- 
peditions into  the  country,  and  of  the  failure  to  accomplish 
anything  of  importance  against  him.  This  side  of  the  charac- 
ter of  Glendower  puzzled  Oswald.  Several  times,  when  talking 
to  him,  he  distinctly  claimed  supernatural  powers,  and  from 
the  tone  in  which  he  spoke,  and  the  strange  expression  his 
face  at  this  time  assumed,  Oswald  was  convinced  that  he 
sincerely  believed  that  he  did  possess  these  powers. 

Whether  he  originally  did  so,  or  whether  it  had  arisen  from 
the  adulation  of  the  bards,  the  general  belief  in  it,  and  the 
successes  he  had  gained,  Oswald  could  not  determine.  Later, 
when  Glendower  sullied  his  fair  fame  by  the  most  atrocious 
massacres,  similar  to  that  which  had  already  taken  place  at  the 
storming  of  New  Radnor,   atrocities    that  seemed   not   only 


GLENDOWER  319 

purposeless,  but  at  utter  variance  with  the  courtesy  and  gen- 
tleness of  his  bearing,  Oswald  came  to  believe  that  his  brain 
had  to  some  extent  become  unhinged  by  excitement,  flattery, 
and  superstition. 

At  the  end  of  the  fortnight  Roger's  wound,  although  not 
completely  healed,  was  in  such  a  state  that  it  permitted  his 
sitting  on  horseback,  and  Oswald  became  anxious  to  be  off. 
Glendower,  who  was  about  to  set  out  to  harass  the  rear  of  the 
army  as  it  retired  from  Cardiganshire,  at  once  offered  to  send 
a  strong  escort  with  him,  as  it  would  have  been  dangerous  in 
the  extreme  to  have  attempted  to  traverse  the  country  without 
such  a  protection.  Two  excellent  horses,  that  had  been  cap- 
tured in  the  engagement  with  the  English,  were  handed  over 
to  him  for  his  own  use  and  that  of  Roger. 

Oswald's  own  armour  was  returned  to  him,  and  he  was 
pleased  to  find  that  it  had  been  carefully  attended  to,  and 
was  as  brightly  burnished  as  when  it  came  into  his  possession. 
When  Glendower  bid  them  adieu,  he  presented  each  of  them 
with  rings  similar  to  those  he  himself  wore. 

"  You  have  promised  that  you  will  not  fight  against  me 
again ;  but  it  may  be  that  on  some  errand  or  other  you  may 
ride  into  Wales,  or  that  you  may  be  staying,  as  you  did  before, 
at  some  castle  or  town  near  the  border  when  we  attack  it.  You 
have  but  to  show  these  rings  to  any  Welshman  you  may 
come  across,  and  you  may  be  sure  of  being  well  treated  as 
one  of  my  friends.  I  trust  that  when  we  meet  again  the  war 
will  be  over,  and  that  my  title  to  the  kingdom  of  Wales  may 
be  recognised  by  your  king  and  people  as  it  is  on  this  side 
of  the  border." 

"  Well,  Sir  Oswald,"  Roger  said  as  they  rode  away,  accom- 
panied by  twenty  of  Glendower's  followers  under  the  orders  of 
an  officer,  "  we  have  got  out  of  that  scrape  better  than  could 
have   been  expected.     When  you   and    I   were   alone   in   the 


320  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

midst  of  that  crowd  of  Welshmen,  I  thought  that  it  was  all 
over  with  us." 

"  So  did  I,  Roger.  You  see  that  matter  of  our  getting  Glen- 
dower's  daughters  away  uninjured  has  borne  good  fruit." 

"  It  has  indeed,"  Roger  agreed.  "  I  thought  it  much  more 
likely,  too,  that  it  would  have  gone  the  other  way." 

"  Be  sure  you  keep  a  silent  tongue  as  to  that,  Roger,  and 
remember  that  our  story  is,  that  I  have  been  put  at  knightly 
ransom,  and  on  the  condition  that  I  will  never  serve  in  Wales 
again.  When  we  once  get  across  the  border  we  will  ride 
straight  for  Northumberland,  without  going  near  Ludlow.  I 
observed  that  the  king  much  doubted  the  Mortimers,  and 
were  we  to  return  there,  and  the  news  came  to  his  ears,  he 
might  take  it  as  a  proof  that  there  was  an  understanding 
between  Glendower  and  Mortimer,  and  that  it  was  to  this  that 
leniency,  such  as  had  been  shown  to  no  other  prisoners,  was 
due  ;  whereas  if  we  go  straight  to  Percy,  't  is  not  likely  that 
the  matter  will  ever  come  to  his  hearing,  and  at  any  rate, 
if  it  did  so,  he  would  scarce  connect  Mortimer  with  our 
escape." 

"  I  understand,  Sir  Oswald,  and  will,  you  may  be  sure,  keep 
silent  as  to  aught  beyond  what  you  have  bade  me  say." 

Two  days'  journey  brought  them  to  the  house  of  Glen- 
dower's  married  daughter.  On  the  officer  stating  that  the 
knight  with  him  had  been  sent  under  his  escort  by  Glendower 
himself,  she  requested  that  he  should  be  shown  in.  Her 
husband  was  away. 

"What  is  the  knight's  name?"  she  asked. 

"  Sir  Oswald  Forster,  Lady." 

"  I  have  never,  so  far  as  I  know,  heard  it  before.  Me- 
thought  that  he  might  be  one  whom  I  may  have  met  in  the 
houses  of  my  two  sisters  married  to  Englishmen  in  Hereford, 
but  I  have  no  memory  of  the  name.     Show  him  in,  sir." 


GLENDOWER  321 

Roger  had  removed  Oswald's  helmet  while  the  officer  was 
away. 

"  Come  with  me,  Roger,"  he  said,  "  since  we  were  both 
concerned   in  this  affair." 

He  bowed  deeply  to  the  Lady  Isabel,  who,  as  she  returned 
his  salute,  saw  with  surprise  that  his  face  was  quite  strange 
to  her. 

"  It  seems,  Sir  Oswald,"  she  said,  "  from  the  tenor  of  the 
message  given  me  by  the  officer,  that  you  have  come  to  me 
as  a  visitor,  and  that  't  is  as  an  escort  only  that  he  has  been 
sent  with  you?  " 

"  That  is  so,  Lady,  but  't  is  as  a  visitor  rather  to  your 
sisters,  the  Ladies  Jane  and  Margaret,  that  I  am  here ;  I  had 
once  the  pleasure  of  meeting  them." 

Glendower's  daughter  at  once  told  a  maid,  who  was  work- 
ing with  her  when  the  officer  had  entered,  to  request  her 
sisters  to  come  to  her;  and  these  entered  the  room  a  minute 
later. 

Isabel,  seeing  that  they  did  not  appear  to  recognise  the 
young  knight,  said,  "  Our  father  has  sent  this  gentleman,  Sir 
Oswald  Forster,  whom  you  know,  to  visit  you." 

The  two  girls  looked  with  surprise  at  Oswald. 

"Do  you  not  know  this  gentleman?"  their  sister  asked  in 
equal  surprise. 

"  He  is  not  known  to  us,"  Jane  replied.  "  I  have  never 
seen  him  before  —  at  least,  that  I  can  remember." 

"  We  have  met  before,  nevertheless,  Lady,"  Oswald  said 
with  a  smile,  "  though  it  may  well  be  that  you  do  not  remem- 
ber my  face,  or  that  of  my  squire  there,  seeing  that  we  were 
together  but  a  few  minutes  and  that  in  the  moonlight." 

The  girls  looked  up  at  him  puzzled,  and  then  their  eyes  fell 
upon  Roger. 

"  Now    I    know !  "    Margaret    exclaimed.     "  Look    at    the 


322  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

squire's  height.  Surely,  Jane,  these  are  the  two  soldiers 
who  allowed  us  to  pass  them  that  night  when  we  fled  from 
Sycharth." 

"  That  is  so,"  Oswald  said ;  "  I  thought  that  you  were  more 
likely  to  recognise  my  squire  than  myself,  seeing  that  I  have 
grown  several  inches  since  then,  and  have  but  lately  assumed 
this  knightly  armour  in  which  you  see  me." 

"  Oh,  sir,"  Jane  said,  going  swiftly  up  to  him  and  holding 
out  her  hand,  which  he  raised  to  his  lips,  as  he  did  that  of 
Margaret  as  she  followed  her  sister,  "  we  have  thought  of  you 
so  often,  and  have  prayed  that  you  should  both  be  rewarded 
for  your  kindness  to  us  !  How  glad  I  am  to  see  you  again,  and 
have  an  opportunity  of  thanking  you  !  You  have  heard,  Isabel, 
of  our  adventure,  and  how  we  escaped  by  the  kindness  of  two 
Englishmen  on  guard  near  the  edge  of  the  forest  from  being 
carried  as  prisoners  to  London,  where  but  for  them  we  should 
now  be  lodged  in  some  dungeon  of  the  usurper ;  but  till  now  I 
have  never  known  the  name  of  our  preserver. 

"Thanks  also  to  you,  good  squire,"  she  said,  turning  to 
Roger. 

"  I  but  carried  out  the  orders  of  my  master,"  Roger  said, 
colouring  like  a  boy,  as  she  held  out  her  hand  to  him ;  "  there 
is  no  credit  due  to  me." 

"  But  how  came  you  here?"  Lady  Isabel  asked  Oswald. 

"  Your  sisters  have,  although  they  know  it  not,  more  than 
repaid  their  obligations  to  me ;  for  while  they  may  perhaps 
owe  their  liberty  to  me,  I  owe  my  life  to  them.  See,  ladies," 
and  he  turned  to  Jane,  "  there  is  the  chain  you  gave  me.  I 
have  worn  it  always  on  my  wrist.  I  and  my  squire  were 
beaten  down  by  your  father's  followers,  my  squire  grievously 
wounded  and  insensible,  while  I  had  been  left  for  dead,  though 
but  stunned  from  a  blow.  I  luckily  recovered  my  senses  just 
as  those  employed  in  despatching  the  wounded  came  up ;  and 


"HOW   GLAD   I     \\I    I"    HAVE   AN   OPPORT1  Ml  \    Of     ["HANKING    YOU. 


GLENDOWER  323 

happily  remembering  your  bracelet,  I  took  it  off  and  held  it 
up,  calling  out  your  father's  name.  Struck,  I  suppose,  by  the 
action  and  words,  an  officer  examined  the  bracelet  closely,  and 
making  out  the  inscription  on  the  clasp,  had  my  squire  and 
myself  taken  to  the  house  where  your  father  lodged,  so  that 
the  manner  of  my  being  possessed  of  the  trinket  might  be  ex- 
plained. On  your  father's  return  he  recognised  it ;  and  having 
heard  from  you  the  circumstances  of  our  meeting,  treated  us 
with  the  greatest  kindness  and  hospitality,  and  freed  us  with- 
out ransom,  save  a  nominal  one  in  order  that  on  my  return  I 
could  say  that  I  had  been  put  to  ransom.  On  the  recovery  of 
my  squire  from  his  wounds  he  restored  our  armour  to  us,  pre- 
sented us  with  horses,  and  sent  us  here  under  escort,  deeming 
that  you  might  be  glad  to  see  us." 

"  There  he  was  indeed  right,"  Jane  said.  "  We  have  oft 
regretted  that  you  would  not  accept  a  more  valuable  jewel 
than  that  little  chain,  which  was  given  to  me  by  my  father 
when  I  was  but  a  child.  But  't  is  well  indeed  that  you  so 
withstood  us,  for  had  it  been  any  other  of  our  jewels  but  this 
it  would  not  have  been  recognised." 

"That  is  so,  Lady,  and  since  my  capture  I  often  thought 
that  it  was  strange  it  so  happened." 

After  staying  a  day  there  Oswald  continued  his  journey,  to 
the  regret  of  the  ladies,  who  were  glad  to  hear  that  he  would 
never  again  fight  against  the  Welsh.  His  escort  accompanied 
him  as  near  the  border  as  it  was  safe  for  them  to  go.  The 
next  day  they  rode  into  Chester,  and  then  by  easy  stages  up 
to  Alnwick. 

Oswald  went  to  Hotspur's  apartments  as  soon  as  he  entered 
the  castle.  "  I  congratulate  you  heartily,"  Hotspur  said  as  he 
entered.  "  I  see  that  you  have  won  your  spurs.  I  said  to  myself 
when  I  received  your  letter,  saying  that  you  were  starting  to 
carry  a  letter  to  the  king,  that  your  enterprise  would  bring  you 


324  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

either  death  or  a  pair  of  gold  spurs.  I  am  glad  indeed  to  see 
that  it  was  the  latter.  I  hear  that  the  king's  army  is  falling 
back.  A  messenger  brought  me  news  from  my  kinsman.  He 
said  that  it  was  but  a  rumour  that  had  reached  him,  but  that 
it  seemed  likely  enough,  for  it  was  said  that  they  had  suffered 
terribly,  both  from  the  weather  and  the  attacks  of  the  Welsh." 
"  That  rumour  is  true,  Sir  Henry,  and  also  that  the  army  is 
retiring." 

"And  they  have  done  no  more  than  they  did  before?" 
"  No   more    indeed,  Sir    Henry.     They  have    burnt   many 
villages,  and  slain  many  Welshmen,  but  they  have  done  noth- 
ing whatever  towards  subduing  Glendower." 


CHAPTER    XIX 

THE    BATTLE    OF    HOMILDON    HILL 

"  T)UT  how  have   you  made   your  way  back  ahead  of  the 

Lj  army?"  Hotspur  asked,  after  Oswald  had  given  him 
full  information  as  to  the  military  operations. 

"Roger  and  I  were  left  for  dead  in  that  fight  I  have  told 
you  of  near  Llanidloes,  and  we  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Welsh  and  were  taken  before  Glendower,  who  treated  us  well 
and  put  me  to  ransom,  with  the  engagement  that  I  was  not 
again  to  bear  arms  in  Wales." 

"That  was  a  strange  leniency  on  his  part,"  Hotspur  ex- 
claimed, "  for  I  hear  he  puts  to  the  sword  all  who  fall  into  his 
hands,  without  any  regard  for  the  rules  of  civilised  war." 

"He  is  a  strange  man,  Sir  Henry,  and  subject,  I  fancy,  to 
changeable  moods.  Wnen  I  was  brought  before  him  he  was 
in  a  happy  one  over  the  success  he  had  gained,  and  it  may  be 


THE   BATTLE   OF   HOMILDON   HILL  325 

that  he  took  a  liking  for  me.  At  any  rate,  he  fixed  my  ransom 
at  a  very  small  sum." 

"Which  I  will,  of  course,  pay,"  Hotspur  said,  "since  you 
were  my  squire  and  were  at  Ludlow  on  my  service." 

"  I  thank  you  much,  Sir  Henry,  but  't  is  so  small  a  sum  that 
I  myself  discharged  it  without  difficulty." 

"  'T  is  strange,  most  strange,  that  you  should  have  gone  into 
the  lion's  den  and  have  come  out  unscathed.  Strange  indeed 
that  Glendower,  who,  as  we  know,  is  greatly  in  want  of  money, 
should  have  fixed  your  ransom  at  a  low  sum.  How  much  was 
it,  Sir  Oswald  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you  the  story,  Sir  Henry,  though  I  would  tell 
no  one  else,  for  my  freedom  is  due  to  something  that  happened 
nigh  two  years  ago,  when  I  was  first  with  Sir  Edmund 
Mortimer.  I  failed  in  what  was  my  strict  duty,  although  I 
disobeyed  no  orders  that  I  had  received,  and  my  conscience 
altogether  acquits  me  of  wrong." 

"  You  may  be  sure,  Sir  Oswald,  that  the  matter  will  go  no 
further,  and  knowing  you  as  I  do  I  feel  sure  that  whatever  the 
matter  was  it  was  not  to  your  discredit." 

"  So  I  trust,  myself,  my  lord,  but  it  might  have  cost  me  my 
head  had  the  king  come  to  know  it.  I  will  first  tell  you  that  my 
ransom  was  fixed  at  a  crown,  and  that  of  Roger  at  a  penny." 

Hotspur,  who  had  been  looking  a  little  grave,  laughed. 
"  Surely  never  before  was  so  much  bone  and  sinew  appraised 
at  so  small  a  sum." 

"  It  was  so  put,  simply  that  I  might  with  truth  avow  that  I 
was  put  to  ransom.  However,  I  paid  the  crown  and  the  penny, 
and  have  so  discharged  my  obligations.  This  was  how  the 
matter  came  about ;  "  and  he  related  the  whole  circumstances 
to  Sir  Henry,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  little  chain  given 
to  him  by  Glendower's  daughter  had  been  the  means  of  saving 
his  life. 


326  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

"  I  blame  you  in  no  way,  Sir  Oswald,"  Hotspur  said  cordially 
when  he  had  heard  the  story,  "  though  I  say  not  that  the  king 
would  have  viewed  the  matter  in  the  same  light.  Still,  you 
held  to  the  letter  of  your  orders.  You  were  placed  there  to 
give  warning  of  the  approach  of  any  hostile  body,  and  nought 
was  said  to  you  as  to  letting  any  man,  still  less  any  women, 
depart  from  the  place.  But  indeed  how  could  I  blame  you, 
since  heaven  itself  has  assoiled  you ;  for  assuredly  it  was  not 
chance  that  placed  on  your  arm  the  little  trinket  that  alone 
could  have  saved  your  life  from  the  Welsh.  Now  to  yourself, 
Sir  Oswald ;  you  will,  I  hope,  continue  my  knight  as  you  have 
been  my  squire." 

"  Assuredly,  Sir  Henry,  I  have  never  thought  of  anything 
else." 

"  Very  well,  then,  I  will  as  soon  as  may  be  appoint  to  you 
a  double  knight's  feu.  I  say  a  double  feu,  because  I  should 
like  to  have  you  as  one  of  the  castle  knights,  and  so  have  much 
larger  service  from  you  than  that  which  a  knight  can  be  called 
upon  to  render  for  an  ordinary  feu.  I  will  bid  Father  Ernulf 
look  through  the  rolls  and  see  what  feus  are  vacant.  One  of 
these  I  will  make  an  hereditary  feu  to  pass  down  from  you 
to  your  heirs  irrevocably ;  the  other  will  be  a  service  feu, 
to  support  the  expenses  caused  by  your  extra  services,  and 
revocable  under  the  usual  conditions." 

A  week  later  there  was  a  formal  ceremonial  at  the  castle, 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  earl,  Hotspur,  and  the  knights  and 
gentlemen  of  their  service,  Oswald  took  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  Sir  Henry  Percy,  and  afterwards,  as  required  by  law,  to 
the  king,  and  received  from  Hotspur  deeds  appointing  him  to 
two  knight's  feus,  including  the  villages  of  Stoubes  and 
Rochester  in  Reddesdale.  There  were  at  the  time  six  knight's 
feus  vacant,  and  as  Percy  had  left  it  to  him  to  choose  which  he 
liked,  he  had  selected  these,  as  they  lay  but  a  twelve  miles'  ride 


THE   BATTLE    OF   HOMILDON    HILL  327 

over  the  hills  from  his  father's  place  in  Coquetdale.  The 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  king  as  well  as  to  the  feudal  lord 
was  enacted  by  Henry  II.  with  the  intention  of  curbing  to 
some  extent  the  power  of  the  great  vassals  ;  but  although  taken 
by  all  knights  on  being  presented  with  a  feu,  it  was  deemed  of 
no  effect  in  the  case  of  the  immediate  lord  being  at  war  with 
the  king,  and  whenever  troubles  arose  the  lord's  vassals  always 
sided  with  him,  it  being  universally  understood  that  the  oath 
to  him  from  whom  they  had  received  their  land  was  para- 
mount over  that  to  the  king. 

There  having  been  several  formalities  to  be  observed  and 
matters  to  be  discussed,  Oswald  was  unable  to  ride  home  until 
after  this  ceremony  had  taken  place,  but  upon  the  following 
morning  he  and  Roger  started  early  and  arrived  that  evening 
at  Yardhope.  His  welcome  was  a  warm  one,  and  the  satisfac- 
tion of  his  father  and  the  delight  of  his  mother  at  seeing  him 
in  knightly  armour  was  great  indeed,  and  it  increased  when  he 
told  them  that  he  had  received  knighthood  at  the  hands  of  the 
king  himself,  and  that  Hotspur  had  granted  him  the  feus  of 
Stoubes  and  Rochester. 

"  Then  we  shall  have  you  within  a  ride  of  us,"  his  mother 
exclaimed.     "  That  will  be  pleasant  indeed." 

"  The  feus  have  always  gone  together,"  John  Forster  said, 
"  and  Stoubes  castle,  although  small,  is  a  strong  one.  How 
many  tenants  will  you  have  ?  " 

"  Twenty-three.  That  at  least  was  the  number  of  names  set 
down  in  the  parchments." 

"  That  is  not  bad  as  a  beginning.  Of  course  you  will  keep 
some  ten  or  twelve  retainers  in  the  castle,  and  with  such  men 
as  will  come  in  from  the  villages  at  the  approach  of  danger  you 
will  be  able  to  muster  fifty  or  sixty  in  all  for  the  defence." 

"  I  shall  live  chiefly  at  Alnwick,  father.  Rochester  is  given 
to  me  as  an  hcredi::--  r"»   but  I  shall  hold  Stoubes  for  extra 


328  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

service  at  the  castle ;  and  I  have  little  doubt  that  Percy  will,  if 
I  do  him  good  service,  make  it  also  hereditary.  He  as  much 
as  said  so." 

"  It  will  make  a  good  portion,  lad.  Yardhope  is  a  knight's 
feu,  though  I  have  never  taken  up  the  knighthood,  and  the 
Percys  know  that  I  should  fight  just  as  stoutly  as  John 
Forster  as  if  I  wore  knightly  armour;  but  though  the  lands 
are  wide  they  are  poor,  while  yours  are  fertile,  lying  down  by 
the  river.  Moreover,  Coquetdale  is  more  liable  to  Scotch  in- 
cursions than  Reddesdale,  as  the  road  into  Scotland  runs  along 
it.  If  needs  be  we  can  lend  a  hand  to  each  other,  though  both 
together  we  could  not  hold  either  your  place  or  mine  against 
a  strong  invasion.  Now,  tell  us  how  it  was  that  you  won  your 
spurs,  and  how  it  was  that  the  king  himself  knighted  you." 

"  After  I  have  eaten  and  drank  I  will  do  so,  father,  for 
indeed  Roger  and  I  are  well-nigh  famishing." 

After  the  meal  he  related  the  whole  story  of  his  adventures. 

"Well,  lad,  you  were  in  luck,"  his  father  said  when  he  had 
finished.  "The  help  you  gave  those  maidens  might  have 
brought  your  head  to  the  block  ;  but  it  turned  out  well  and  was 
the  saving  of  your  life,  so  I  will  say  nought  against  the  deed, 
especially  as  you  owed  no  allegiance  either  to  Mortimer  or 
to  Talbot,  and  were,  save  for  the  orders  that  Hotspur  had 
given  you,  your  own  master." 

Two  days  later,  having  sent  over  on  the  morning  after  his 
arrival  a  message  to  the  tenants  to  present  themselves  at 
Stoubes  to  take  their  oaths  to  him,  Oswald,  accompanied  by 
his  father,  rode  into  Reddesdale.  He  found  the  castle  a  much 
stronger  place  than  Yardhope,  which  was  but  a  fortified  house, 
while  this  was  a  moated  building  with  strong  walls  and  flanking 
towers,  and  a  keep  that  could  be  held  successfully  even  if  the 
walls  were  captured  by  a  sudden  assault.  At  twelve  o'clock 
the  tenants  assembled.     Oswald  read  to  them  the  two  parch- 


THE    BATTLE   OF   HOMILDON   HILL  329 

ments,  and  they  then  took  the  oaths  to  him.  They  were  well 
satisfied  to  have  a  young  knight  as  their  lord,  for  the  feus  had 
been  held  by  a  minor,  who  had  died  two  years  before,  and  had 
not  been  at  the  castle  since  he  was  taken  away  as  a  child  to  be 
brought  up  at  the  town  of  Alnwick,  where  he  had  remained 
under  the  eye  of  the  Percys.  It  had  long  been  understood, 
however,  that  the  feu  would  not  be  granted  to  him,  for  he  was 
weakly  from  his  birth  and  wholly  unfitted  for  the  charge  of  a 
castle  so  near  the  Scottish  border.  According  to  feudal  usage 
each  tenant  expected  that  he  would  be  called  upon  to  pay  a 
heavy  sum  under  the  name  of  a  relief,  as  was  customary  in 
the  case  of  a  new  lord  taking  possession,  and  they  were  greatly 
relieved  when  Oswald  told  them  that,  as  he  already  possessed 
armour  and  horses,  he  would  quit  them  for  a  fourth  part  of  the 
usual  amount,  although  he  should  of  course  require  their  ser- 
vices to  enable  him  to  repair  such  dilapidations  as  the  castle 
had  suffered  during  the  long  term  that  it  had  stood  empty. 

For  the  next  three  months  he  stayed  in  Stoubes.  Roger 
had  been  sent  off  at  once  with  two  men-at-arms  to  bring  the 
horses  and  armour  that  had  been  left  at  Welshpool,  bearing  a 
letter  to  the  governor  from  Oswald  thanking  him  much  for 
having  taken  care  of  them,  and  saying  briefly  that  he  had 
been  left  on  the  field  for  dead  after  the  fight  near  Llanidloes, 
but  had  recovered  and  been  well  treated  by  Glendower,  who 
had  put  him  to  ransom.  He  took  money  with  him  to  pay  the 
expenses  for  the  keep  of  the  horses,  and  returned  with  them 
and  the  armour  after  an  absence  of  three  weeks.  Passing 
through  Worcester  on  his  way  back,  he  had  at  Oswald's  order 
purchased  for  himself  clothes  suitable  for  his  position  as  an 
esquire.  As  for  armour,  it  had  been  arranged  that  he  should 
have  it  made  for  him  at  Alnwick,  as  it  would  be  difficult  to 
obtain  a  suit  sufficiently  large  for  him. 

At  the  end  of  the  three  months  the  necessary  repairs  to  the 


330  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

castle  were  finished,  the  gates  had  been  greatly  strengthened 
with  thick  bands  of  iron,  the  moat  cleared  out,  and  at  various 
points  the  defences  had  been  strengthened.  The  small  amount 
of  furniture  then  deemed  necessary  still  remained  there,  and 
where  needful  had  been  repaired  and  put  in  good  order. 
Eight  men-at-arms  had  been  taken  by  Oswald  into  his  ser- 
vice, and  a  trusty  man  appointed  as  seneschal.  Then,  after 
paying  another  visit  to  Yardhope,  Oswald  rode  with  Roger 
and  two  well-mounted  men-at-arms  to  Alnwick. 

It  was  now  April,  and  bad  news  had  just  arrived.  Glen- 
dower  had  commenced  the  campaign  with  great  vigour,  as  the 
appearance  of  a  comet  had  been  interpreted  by  the  bards  as 
an  omen  most  favourable  to  him,  and  his  force  had  greatly 
increased  during  the  winter.  He  had  destroyed  the  houses 
and  strong  places  of  all  Welshmen  who  had  not  taken  up  arms 
at  his  orders,  and  had  closely  blockaded  Carnarvon.  He 
marched  to  Bangor,  levelled  the  cathedral  and  that  of  St. 
Asaph  by  fire,  burnt  the  episcopal  palaces  and  canons'  houses. 
So  formidable  did  he  become  that  the  king  issued  writs  to  the 
lieutenants  of  no  fewer  than  thirty-four  counties  to  assemble 
their  forces  at  Lichfield  to  crush  Glendower.  The  latter  had 
now  taken  the  offensive  and  advanced  towards  Hereford,  and 
carried  fire  and  sword  through  Mortimer's  lands.  Sir  Edmund 
gathered  his  own  and  his  nephew's  tenants  and  retainers  from 
Herefordshire  and  Radnorshire  and  advanced  against  Glen- 
dower. The  armies  met  on  the  22nd  of  June,  1402,  at  a 
short  distance  from  Knighton.  The  battle  was  obstinately 
fought,  but  was  decided  by  the  desertion  of  the  Welsh  tenants, 
and  by  the  Welsh  bowmen  in  Mortimer's  service  turning  their 
bows  against  his  men-at-arms,  and  finally  the  English  were 
defeated  with  the  loss  of  eleven  hundred  men,  Sir  Edmund 
himself  being  made  a  prisoner. 

After  the  battle  the  Welsh  behaved  with  the  greatest  sav- 


THE    BATTLE    OF   HOMILDON   HILL  331 

agery,  killing  all  the  wounded,  stripping  the  fallen,  and  horribly 
mutilating  their  bodies.  The  news  created  great  excitement 
at  Alnwick,  and  had  not  the  situation  in  the  north  been  criti- 
cal Percy  would  have  gathered  his  forces  and  marched  with 
all  speed  to  avenge  the  defeat  and  capture  of  his  brother-in- 
law.  The  Earl  of  Dunbar,  with  many  of  the  tenants  of  his 
former  estates,  and  numbers  of  the  English  borderers,  had  en- 
tered Scotland  and  carried  out  considerable  raids.  In  revenge 
for  this  Douglas  despatched  Thomas  Halliburton  and  Patrick 
Hepburn,  each  with  a  considerable  force,  to  invade  Northum- 
berland. Halliburton  ravaged  the  country  as  far  as  Bam- 
borough,  collected  great  spoils  and  returned  with  them. 
Hepburn,  who  had  a  still  larger  force,  penetrated  farther  into 
England,  carried  his  ravages  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Alnwick, 
and  then  retired  north  with  an  enormous  amount  of  booty. 

When,  however,  he  had  crossed  the  border  into  the  country 
known  as  the  Merse,  north  of  Berwick,  the  Earl  of  Dunbar  fell 
upon  him  at  West  Nesbit,  and  completely  defeated  him.  Hep- 
burn himself  with  a  large  number  of  his  men  fell  in  the  battle, 
and  many  important  prisoners  were  captured.  This  battle  was 
fought  on  the  same  day  that  Glendower  defeated  Mortimer. 
The  victory  caused  great  exultation  on  the  border ;  but  Alwyn 
said  to  his  nephew  : 

"  Although  this  is  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  Oswald,  you  may 
be  sure  that  Douglas  will  not  brook  this  disaster  with  patience, 
but  will  gather  the  Scottish  forces,  and  we  may  expect  him  ere 
long  at  the  head  of  twenty  thousand  men,  and  we  shall  have  a 
fight  as  stiff  as  that  of  Otterburn.  We  shall  have  Northumber- 
land ablaze,  and  you  will  see  that  the  earl  and  Hotspur  will 
soon  be  preparing  to  meet  the  storm.  These  last  forays  took 
them  by  surprise,  and  as  lords  of  the  marches  they  have  suf- 
fered serious  humiliation,  for  this  victory  was  not  theirs,  but 
the  work  of  I  )unbar,  and  had  he  not  intercepted  the  Scots  on 


332  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

their  own  side  of  the  border  they  would  have  returned  scath- 
less  with  the  spoils  of  our  northern  districts.  This  disgrace 
will  spur  them  on  to  make  great  efforts,  and  these  will  be 
needed  or  we  shall  see  Northumberland,  Cumberland,  and 
Durham  in  flames." 

Alwyn  was  not  mistaken.  Messengers  were  sent  off  to  all 
those  holding  knights'  feus  throughout  the  county,  bidding 
them  to  prepare  to  answer  to  the  Percys'  call,  and  to  hold 
themselves  and  their  tenants  in  readiness  to  march  to  any 
point  fixed  upon  for  a  general  rendezvous.  They  were  to  warn 
all  the  countryside  that  directly  news  arrived  that  the  Scots 
were  in  motion  they  were  to  drive  their  cattle  and  horses  to 
the  nearest  fortified  town,  or  to  take  them  to  hiding-places 
among  the  hills.  Everything  of  value  was  to  be  taken  away 
or  hidden,  so  that  the  enemy  should  find  but  empty  houses. 
Oswald  rode  to  Yardhope  with  the  message  to  his  father. 

"  I  know,  father,"  he  said,  "  that  it  needed  not  to  warn 
you,  but  as  it  was  but  a  short  distance  out  of  my  way  to  come 
round  here  I  thought  that  I  would  pay  you  a  day's  visit." 

"  No,  lad ;  directly  I  heard  of  the  victory  of  Dunbar  I  said 
to  myself,  this  will  bring  the  Scots  upon  us  in  force.  Douglas 
will  never  put  up  with  the  defeat,  and  will  make  every  effort  to 
turn  the  tables.  I  shall  send  all  there  is  worth  taking  away 
to  a  shepherd's  hut  among  the  fells,  and  shall,  as  soon  as  I 
hear  that  Douglas's  preparations  are  well-nigh  complete,  jour- 
ney with  your  mother  to  Alnwick,  and  leave  her  there.  I 
shall  return,  and  with  my  men  will  drive  the  cattle  and  horses 
to  places  where  there  is  little  chance  of  the  Scots  finding  them, 
and  will  then,  after  leaving  three  or  four  men  to  look  after 
them,  come  back  to  Alnwick.     What  do  you  propose  to  do?  " 

"  I  shall  do  much  the  same,  father.  Stoubes  is  strong 
enough  to  hold  out  against  any  ordinary  raid,  but  not  against 
an  army  led  by  Douglas.     I  shall  remove  the  furnishing  and 


THE    BATTLE   OF   HOMILDON   HILL  333 

tapestry,  and  shall  send  the  most  valuable  into  Alnwick  and 
have  the  rest  of  them  hidden  in  the  woods.  These  are  the 
orders  that  have  been  sent  all  along  the  border.  Any  whose 
places  are  so  strong  that  they  may  well  defend  themselves  for 
some  time  are  to  gather  all  their  neighbours  there ;  the  rest 
are  to  repair  to  Alnwick  to  join  Percy's  force.  You  see  there 
is  no  knowing  where  the  storm  may  break ;  the  Scots  may 
cross  the  Cheviots  anywhere  between  Berwick  and  Carlisle, 
and  until  their  movements  are  known  the  earl  and  Hotspur 
must  keep  their  forces  at  Alnwick  in  readiness  to  march  where- 
soever required. 

"  Hotspur  has  sent  messengers  down  to  the  Midlands  to 
engage  as  many  archers  as  he  can  get.  Of  course  we  have 
many  here,  but  the  borderers  are  spearmen  rather  than  archers, 
and  it  were  well  to  strengthen  our  force.  Still,  however  large 
a  force  he  may  raise,  we  cannot  hope  to  check  their  first  incur- 
sion. The  whole  country  is  open  to  them,  and  if  they  enter 
near  Carlisle  they  may  be  in  the  heart  of  Cumberland  or  Dur- 
ham before  we  are  fairly  in  motion.  We  may  count,  however, 
on  meeting  them  as  they  retire,  if  not  before." 

Oswald  then  rode  to  his  own  place,  bade  all  the  tenants 
prepare  to  ride  with  him  to  Alnwick  at  an  hour's  notice,  and 
either  to  send  their  women  and  children  on  there  as  soon  as  it 
was  known  that  the  Scotch  army  was  gathering  strongly  on  the 
border,  or  else  to  gather  stores  of  provisions  up  in  the  hills,  and 
to  send  the  women  and  children  there  the  moment  word  came 
that  the  Scots  were  on  the  move.  The  news  of  Mortimer's 
defeat  and  capture  had  been  received  by  the  time  Oswald  re- 
turned to  Alnwick. 

"Tis  bad  news  indeed,"  Percy  said  to  him,  "and  I  know 
that  as  you  have  been  staying  so  long  at  Ludlow  you  will  be 
deeply  grieved  at  the  misfortune  that  has  befallen  Mortimer. 
1  lowever,  I  doubt  not  that  he  will  soon  be  ransomed.     I  know 


334  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

that  the  king  appointed  a  commission  of  knights  to  treat  at 
once  with  Glendower  for  Lord  Grey's  ransom,  and  has  given 
orders  for  the  raising  of  the  great  sum  demanded.  It  is  to  be 
gathered  from  a  tax  on  church  properties  and  in  other  ways, 
and  doubtless  he  will  do  the  same  for  Mortimer,  whose  lands 
have  been  so  harried  by  the  Welsh  that  it  will  be  impossible 
to  raise  any  large  sum  from  the  tenants." 

"  I  fear,  Sir  Henry,"  Oswald  said,  "  that  the  king  will  be 
lukewarm  on  the  subject.  During  his  three  invasions  he  has 
never  once  summoned  Sir  Edmund  to  join  him,  nor  has  he 
passed  through  Ludlow,  as  he  might  well  have  done,  seeing 
that  it  is  a  central  position  and  the  nearest  way  for  an  army 
marching  towards  Plinlimmon.  I  remarked,  too,  that  when  I 
mentioned  Mortimer's  name  in  my  discourse  with  him,  the 
king's  brow  clouded  as  if  ill-pleased  at  the  name." 

"Then  he  acts  wrongly,"  Hotspur  said  angrily.  "  Mortimei 
has  given  no  cause  for  offence.  He  has  never  in  any  way  up- 
held the  cause  of  the  young  Earl  of  March,  and  knows  well 
enough  that  it  would  be  madness  to  set  up  his  claim  to  the 
throne  when  Henry  has  given  no  cause  for  complaint,  and  that 
the  boy's  existence  seems  to  be  well-nigh  forgotten  by  the 
country.  However,  as  soon  as  this  business  is  over,  I  will 
myself  to  London,  and  will  beg  the  king  to  exercise  the  same 
benevolence  in  the  case  of  Mortimer  as  he  has  shown  on  behalf 
of  Lord  Grey.  Why,  he  might  as  well  suspect  us,  to  whom 
he  largely  owes  his  kingdom,  as  Mortimer,  seeing  that  my  wife 
is  aunt  to  the  young  earl." 

Early  in  August  it  became  known  that  preparations  were 
being  made  upon  a  great  scale  by  Douglas  for  the  invasion  of 
England,  and  that  as  Military  Governor  of  Scotland  he  had 
summoned  all  the  great  nobles  to  join  with  their  forces,  and  it 
was  even  said  that  numbers  of  P'rench  knights  were,  on  ac- 
count of  the   long  friendship  between  France  and  Scotland, 


THE    BATTLE   OF   HOMILDON   HILL  335 

crossing  the  seas  to  fight  under  Douglas  against  their  old 
enemies. 

"  Methinks,"  Hotspur  said  to  his  knights,  "  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  there  is  an  agreement  between  Scotland  and 
Glendower,  and  this  would  account  for  the  fury  the  Welshmen 
have  been  showing,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  have 
destroyed  the  cathedrals,  churches  and  castles  alike,  and  so 
forced  Henry  to  march  against  them  with  the  forces  of  the 
greater  part  of  England,  just  when  Douglas  is  preparing  to 
assail  us  here. 

"The  forces  of  Westmoreland,  Cumberland,  Durham,  and 
Northumberland,  if  together,  might  hope  to  make  a  stout  re- 
sistance even  against  so  large  a  force  as  Douglas  is  collecting, 
but  we  cannot  so  gather.  The  Earl  of  Westmoreland,  who 
commands  the  forces  of  his  own  county  and  Cumberland, 
must  needs  hold  them  together,  lest  the  Scots  pour  down, 
besiege  Carlisle,  and  carry  fire  and  sword  through  those 
counties.  From  here  up  to  Berwick  the  country  has  been  so 
plundered  and  devastated  that  it  is  almost  a  desert,  and  I  can 
draw  no  strength  from  there.  As  to  Durham,  they  urge,  and 
with  some  truth,  that  as  the  Scots  have  before  now  laid  portions 
of  their  county  waste,  they  cannot  send  their  forces  so  far 
north  as  this  place,  as  it  would  leave  them  unprotected  should 
the  enemy  march  through  Tynedale  into  their  county. 

"  The  king  has  entered  Wales  with  the  fighting  men  of  thirty- 
four  counties,  so  from  him  no  aid  can  be  expected,  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  we  shall  be  quite  unable  to  make  head  against 
the  invasion,  though  assuredly  when  we  have  gathered  our 
forces,  and  are  joined  by  those  Dunbar  will  bring  us,  we  will 
meet  them  as  they  return  spoil-laden  to  the  border." 

Well-mounted  messengers  had  been  placed  on  every  road 
by  which  the  Scots  could  cross  the  border,  and  on  the  18th  of 
August  one  came  with  the  news  that  twelve  hours  before  they 


336  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

had  crossed  into  Cumberland  at  Kirksop  Foot,  that  they  were 
reported  to  be  ten  thousand  strong,  and  that  a  dozen  villages 
were  already  in  flames.  Another  portion  of  their  army  had 
crossed  near  Tynehead,  and  were  pouring  into  Tynedale. 

John  Forster  and  his  wife  had  arrived  some  days  before  ; 
Oswald  had  found  comfortable  lodgings  for  his  mother  in  the 
town,  which  was  already  crowded  with  women  and  children 
from  the  border.  His  father  had  left  again  at  once,  but  re- 
turned with  twenty  spears  twelve  hours  after  the  messenger  had 
brought  the  news. 

"  I  had  two  or  three  of  my  men  out,"  he  said  to  Oswald  as 
he  rode  in  and  dismounted  in  the  castle  yard,  "  but  as  soon  as 
I  heard  that  the  Scots  had  entered  Tynedale  I  knew  that  it 
was  time  to  be  off,  for  they  are  sure  to  send  over  strong  parties 
to  ravage  Coquetdale.  The  road  was  well-nigh  blocked  in  some 
places  with  fugitives.  In  spite  of  the  warnings  that  have  been 
issued,  most  of  the  people  seem  to  have  thought  that  the  Scots 
could  never  come  in  their  direction,  and  the  news  has  caused 
a  panic.  However,  near  the  border  the  Scots  will  find  but 
little  plunder.  We  have  had  so  many  invasions  that  no  man 
is  foolish  enough  to  spend  money  on  aught  that  he  cannot 
easily  carry  away,  and  the  raiders  will  there  find  but  empty 
houses.  They  may  sweep  in  some  of  the  cattle  from  the  hills 
to  supply  them  with  food  on  their  march,  but  more  than  this 
they  will  not  take  as  they  go  south,  as  it  would  be  but  an 
encumbrance." 

In  a  few  days  a  strong  force  was  collected  at  Alnwick,  but 
though  chafing  at  the  news  of  the  terrible  devastations  that 
were  being  made  by  the  Scots  in  Cumberland  and  Durham, 
the  earl  and  Hotspur  could  at  present  do  nothing.  The  in- 
vasion was  indeed  one  of  the  most  disastrous  that  had  ever 
taken  place,  and  after  having  almost  devastated  the  two  coun- 
ties, Douglas,  with  the  united  force,  and  an  enormous  train 


THE    BATTLE    OF    HOMILDON   HILL  337 

of  waggons  laden  with  plunder,  great  quantities  of  cattle  and 
other  spoil,  turned  north  again  at  the  end  of  the  second  week 
of  September.  In  the  meanwhile  Percy's  force  had  been 
steadily  growing.  He  had  early  resolved  that  upon  the  return 
of  the  Scots  the  battle  must  be  fought,  and  contented  himself 
with  sending  small  bodies  of  well-mounted  knights  and  horse- 
men to  hover  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Scotch  army,  and 
to  keep  him  informed  of  their  intentions  and  the  route  they 
seemed  disposed  to  take. 

Douglas  had  carried  his  devastations  up  to  the  walls  of  New- 
castle, but  had  not  attempted  to  attack  that  strongly-defended 
town.  He  had  indeed  gathered  as  much  spoil  as  could  pos- 
sibly be  taken  along,  and  he  moved  north  in  a  quiet  and  lei- 
surely way,  being  greatly  hampered  by  the  enormous  train  of 
loaded  waggons.  As  soon  as  the  Earl  of  Northumberland  and 
his  son  saw  that  he  intended  to  march  up  through  Northumber- 
land instead  of  returning  by  the  line  that  he  had  come  through 
Tynedale,  they  set  their  force  in  motion,  and  marched  out, 
leaving  a  sufficient  strength  to  hold  Alnwick  should  Douglas 
attack  it.  Being  joined  two  days  later  by  the  Earl  of  Dunbar, 
they  posted  themselves  in  a  position  whence  they  could  march 
to  intercept  the  Scots  upon  any  road  they  might  follow  on  their 
way  north. 

On  the  1 2th  they  learned  for  certain  that  the  Scots  were 
following  the  road  that  would  take  them  through  Wooler. 
Moving  instantly,  the  earl  with  his  forces  came  up  to  them 
posted  on  a  hill  a  mile  to  the  north-west  of  Homildon.  He 
at  once  seized  a  hill  facing  it,  and  disposed  his  knights,  men- 
at-arms,  and  spearmen  along  the  crest.  Hotspur  would  straight- 
way have  charged  down  and  attacked  the  Scots  in  their 
position,  but  Dunbar  put  his  hand  on  his  bridle,  and  urged 
him  strongly  to  await  the  assault,  and  to  provoke  the  Scots 
into  taking  the  offensive  by  galling  them  with  his  archers,  in 

2Z 


668  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

which  he  was  far  superior  to  them,  while  on  the  other  hand 
they  were  much  stronger  in  spears  and  horsemen. 

Hotspur,  seeing  the  goodness  of  the  advice,  assented  to  it, 
and  ordered  the  archers  to  descend  at  once  into  the  valley 
between  the  two  hills,  and  to  launch  their  arrows  against  the 
Scots.  On  descending,  it  was  found  that  the  Scottish  bowmen 
were  already  in  the  valley.  These  they  speedily  drove  up  the 
hill,  and  then  sent  their  arrows  thick  and  fast  among  the 
Scottish  men-at-arms.  Douglas  had,  like  the  Earl  of  Dunbar, 
perceived  at  what  disadvantage  the  party  who  took  the  offen- 
sive would  have  to  fight,  and  had  determined  to  stand  on  the 
defensive,  especially  as,  if  he  moved  forward,  the  English 
could  detach  bodies  of  horsemen  to  work  round  the  hill  and 
fall  upon  his  immense  train  of  waggons. 

For  a  time  he  refused  to  accede  to  the  earnest  entreaties 
of  his  knights  to  advance,  but  as  man  after  man  fell  under 
the  English  arrows,  their  impatience  increased,  until  one  of 
his  best  knights,  Sir  John  Swinton,  rode  a  few  paces  out  of 
the  ranks  and  in  a  loud  voice  said,  "  My  brave  comrades,  what 
fascinates  you  to-day  that  you  stand  like  deer  and  fawns  in 
a  park  to  be  shot,  instead  of  showing  your  ancient  valour  and 
meeting  your  foes  hand  to  hand  ?  Let  those  who  will,  descend 
with  me,  and,  in  the  name  of  God,  we  will  break  that  host 
and  conquer,  or,  if  not,  we  will  at  least  die  with  honour  like 
soldiers." 

A  mighty  shout  followed  his  words,  and  the  whole  Scottish 
host  dashed  down  the  hill.  The  English  archers  fell  back  a 
little,  still  shooting  as  they  did  so,  but  halted  a  short  way  up 
the  hill,  and  shot  so  hotly  and  strongly  that  they  pierced 
helmet  and  armour  with  their  arrows.  Nothing  could  with- 
stand these  missiles,  shot  by  the  finest  and  strongest  bowmen 
in  the  world.  The  Scots  rolled  over  in  heaps.  Douglas, 
although  clad  in  the  most  perfect  steel  armour,  was  wounded 


THE    BATTLE   OF   HOMILDON    HILL  S3(J 

in  five  places,  one  arrow  destroying  the  sight  of  one  of  his 
eyes.  He  fell  from  his  horse,  and  utter  confusion  reigned  in 
the  Scottish  ranks.  Swinging  their  bows  behind  them  the 
archers  drew  their  axes  and  rushed  into  the  crowd,  effecting 
a  terrible  slaughter. 

Douglas  was  made  prisoner,  as  was  the  Earl  of  Fife,  a  son  of 
the  Regent  Albany,  the  Earls  of  Moray  and  Angus  and  Orkney. 
Two  barons,  eighty  knights,  among  whom  were  several  French- 
men, and  several  other  persons  of  rank  were  also  captured  ; 
while  Swinton,  Gordon,  and  many  other  knights  and  gentlemen 
were  slain,  together  with  seven  hundred  of  the  commonalty. 
With  the  exception  only  of  Flodden,  no  battle  on  the  border 
was  so  fatal  to  the  Scottish  nobility,  whose  defeat  was  effected 
by  the  archers  only.  The  confusion  was  so  terrible  that  the 
Earl  of  Northumberland  refused  to  allow  his  knights  and  men- 
at-arms  to  charge,  seeing  that  they  must  trample  down  both 
friend  and  foe ;  therefore  they  stood  as  passive  spectators  of 
the  desperate  fight,  not  a  lance  being  couched  nor  a  blow  struck 
by  any  of  them.  When  all  was  over  they  took  up  the  pursuit 
of  the  fugitives  ;  many  of  these  were  overtaken  and  killed,  and 
the  pursuit  was  continued  to  the  Tweed,  where,  not  knowing 
the  fords,  many  of  the  fugitives  were  drowned  while  endeav- 
ouring to  swim  the  river. 

"  Roger,  what  say  you  to  that?  "  Oswald  asked,  as  he  and  his 
squire  drew  rein  after  pursuing  the  enemy  for  some  distance. 

Roger's  face  expressed  the  strongest  disgust.  "  Well,  Sir 
Oswald,  I  flon't  call  it  a  battle  at  all.  Who  ever  heard  of  a 
battle  where  neither  knight  nor  man-at-arms  drew  sword? 
'T  is  out  of  all  reason  to  fight  in  that  manner." 

"  Nevertheless,  Roger,  as  we  have  won  a  great  victory,  what 
matter  is  it  whether  we  or  the  archers  bore  the  chief  hand  in 
it?  The  last  battle  we  fought  in  was  a  different  matter.  We 
had  plenty  of  fighting,  but  no  victory." 


340  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

"It  was  more  to  my  taste,  nevertheless,"  Roger  grumbled, 
"  even  though  the  Welsh  well-nigh  made  an  end  of  me ;  and, 
for  myself,  I  could  not  help  hoping  that  the  archers  would  be 
beaten,  and  leave  it  to  us  to  take  our  part  in  the  fighting. 
They  had  done  more  than  their  share  when  they  had  broken 
the  Scottish  ranks,  and  slain  I  know  not  how  many,  and  it 
would  have  been  fair  of  them  after  that  to  draw  back  and 
leave  it  to  us  to  finish  the  business." 

"  'T  is  well  as  it  is,  Roger,  and  for  one  I  am  well  satisfied. 
We  have  given  the  Scots  a  lesson  that  will  keep  them  quiet 
for  a  long  time.  We  have  recovered  all  the  spoil  they  were 
carrying  off,  and  we  could  have  won  nothing  more  had  we 
been  in  the  thick  of  the  melee,  and  come  out  of  it  perhaps 
sorely  wounded  again." 

Roger,  however,  was  by  no  means  satisfied,  and  to  the  end 
of  his  life  always  fell  into  a  bad  temper  when  the  battle  of 
Homildon  was  spoken  of.  All  the  prisoners  of  consequence 
were  taken  to  Alnwick,  where  the  army  fell  back,  much  to  the 
disgust  of  some  of  the  more  eager  spirits,  who  would  fain  have 
crossed  the  frontier  and  made  reprisals  for  the  woes  the  Scots 
had  inflicted.  Northumberland,  however,  was  well  satisfied 
with  what  had  been  won,  and  did  not  wish  to  provoke  the 
Scots  to  extremities,  feeling  that  with  so  many  of  their  leaders 
in  his  hands  he  might  be  able  to  arrange  terms  that  would 
ensure  peace  for  a  considerable  time  on  the  border. 

The  prisoners  were  all  treated  with  great  kindness  and 
consideration.  They  were  lodged  in  the  castle  and  were 
treated  as  guests  rather  than  as  prisoners.  Oswald  and  his 
father  were  both  pleased  to  hear,  two  days  after  the  battle, 
that  when  the  Scottish  dead  were  examined,  the  bodies  of 
William  Baird  and  ten  of  his  kinsmen  were  found  lying 
together.  They  had  resisted  desperately  to  the  last,  refusing 
to  surrender   themselves,  well   knowing   that   their   misdeeds 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  341 

and  many  depredations  in  England  would  bring  them  to  the 
gallows  if  taken  alive. 

"  Well,  father,  we  shall  be  able  to  live  in  peace  for  a  time 
now.  No  doubt  the  Bairds  have  brought  with  them  every 
spear  they  could  muster,  for  none  would  willingly  have  stayed 
at  home  when  there  was  a  promise  of  gathering  so  much 
booty ;  therefore  their  strength  must  be  altogether  broken, 
and  it  will  be  long  indeed  before  the  Bairds  ride  in  a  raid 
into  Northumberland." 

His  father  nodded.  "  'T  is  a  good  thing,  Oswald,  assuredly, 
though  I  would  rather  that  we  had  had  the  attacking  of  them 
in  their  own  hold.  Still,  at  any  rate  there  is  an  end  of  the 
feud  for  years  to  come,  and  I  shall  be  able  to  lie  down  to 
sleep  without  wondering  whether  they  will  be  knocking  at  the 
gate  before  morning." 


CHAPTER   XX 

THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT 

DURING  the  time  that  had  elapsed  between  his  receiving 
the  news  of  Mortimer's  capture  by  Glendower  and  the 
battle  of  Homildon  Hill,  Percy  had  written  several  times  to 
the  king  with  reference  to  his  taking  the  same  steps  to  ransom 
Mortimer  that  he  had  taken  on  behalf  of  Lord  Grey.  The 
king,  however,  answered  very  coldly,  and  one  of  his  letters 
more  than  hinted  that  he  believed  that  Mortimer  had  volun- 
tarily placed  himself  in  Glendower's  hands,  and  that  an  agree- 
ment existed  between  them.  Not  only  was  Hotspur  furious  at 
such  an  accusation,  but  the  earl  himself  was  deeply  angered. 
"  ' T  is  past  all  belief,"   Hotspur  said,  "  that  such  a  charge 


342  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

should  be  made.  Had  Mortimer  wished  to  join  Glendower  he 
could  have  gone  to  him,  not  as  a  prisoner,  but  at  the  head  of 
three  thousand  good  fighting  men.  Why  should  he  have 
thrown  away  the  lives  of  twelve  hundred  of  his  own  vassals 
and  those  of  his  nephew?  Nay,  more,  had  Mortimer  intended 
treachery,  he  might  have  marched  and  fallen  on  the  rear  of 
the  king's  army,  entangled  among  the  Welsh  mountains  and 
forests,  while  Glendower  fell  upon  him  from  in  front.  'T  is  a 
lie,  and  bears  its  mark  on  its  face ;  't  is  but  an  excuse  for 
refusing  to  ransom  Mortimer,  who  he  hopes  will  be  kept  a 
prisoner  for  years,  and  whose  estates  he  will  thus  be  able  to 
appropriate.  'T  is  an  insult  not  only  to  Mortimer  but  to  us, 
to  whom  he  owes  his  crown.  But  let  him  beware ;  those  who 
built  up  can  pull  down." 

The  knights  standing  round  put  their  hands  on  their  sword- 
hilts  significantly.  The  king  was  to  the  followers  of  great 
barons  a  person  of  but  small  consequence  in  comparison  with 
their  lord,  and  they  would  draw  their  swords  at  the  latter's 
order  as  willingly  against  a  king  as  against  a  foreign  foe. 
That  it  was  their  duty  to  do  so  was  so  fully  recognised  that, 
in  the  troubles  between  the  king  and  his  nobles,  while  the 
latter  were,  if  defeated,  executed  for  treason,  their  vassals  were 
permitted  to  return  home  unmolested ;  and  it  was  not  until 
the  battle  of  Barnet  that  Edward,  enraged  at  the  humiliation 
that  he  had  suffered  when  he  had  been  obliged  to  fly  to  France, 
gave  orders  that  no  quarter  was  to  be  shown  to  Warwick's 
vassals  and  retainers. 

Northumberland  and  Hotspur  were  still  smarting  under  this 
treatment  of  Mortimer  when,  eight  days  after  the  battle,  the 
messenger  they  had  despatched  to  the  king  in  Wales  with  the 
report  of  their  great  victory  and  the  capture  of  Douglas  and 
other  important  nobles,  returned  with  an  order  from  the  king 
that  these  prisoners  were  not  to  be  ransomed. 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  343 

This  order  was  received  with  passionate  indignation  by  the 
earl  and  Hotspur.  Although  not  altogether  contrary  to  the 
usages  of  the  age,  since  similar  orders  had  more  than  once 
been  issued  by  Edward  III.,  the  ransom  of  prisoners  taken 
in  battle  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  important  sources  of 
revenue,  and  as  the  means  of  defraying  the  expenses  that 
nobles  and  knights  were  put  to  in  aiding  with  their  vassals 
the  king  in  his  wars.  Occasionally,  however,  in  the  case  of 
prisoners  of  importance,  monarchs  deemed  it  necessary  for  poli- 
tical reasons  to  forbid  the  ransom  of  prisoners.  The  Scottish 
nobles  were  as  indignant  as  the  Percys.  They  had  regarded 
it  as  a  matter  of  course  that  they  would  be  shortly  liberated. 
Their  ransom,  however  heavy,  would  be  soon  forthcoming,  for 
it  was  one  of  the  conditions  on  which  land  was  held  that  in 
case  of  the  lord  being  taken  prisoner,  each  of  his  tenants  must 
contribute  largely,  in  proportion  to  his  holding,  towards  the 
payment  of  his  ransom. 

The  order  of  the  king  clearly  meant  that  they  were  to  be 
taken  to  London  and  held  there  as  hostages  perhaps  for  years, 
and  so  not  only  to  ensure  England  against  another  invasion,  but 
to  further  any  designs  of  conquest  that  the  king  might  enter- 
tain. With  three  of  the  great  earls  of  Scotland  —  one  of  them 
the  son  of  the  Regent  — and  Douglas,  the  military  leader  of  the 
Scots,  in  his  hands,  and  with  the  Earl  of  Dunbar  as  his  ally, 
Scotland  would  be  practically  at  his  mercy.  An  important 
meeting  was  held  at  Alnwick,  at  which  the  Scottish  nobles,  the 
Earl  of  Northumberland,  and  Hotspur  were  alone  present, 
and  here  matters  of  vital  interest  to  the  kingdom  were 
arranged. 

For  six  months  things  remained  in  the  same  state.  The 
king's  fourth  expedition  into  Wales  had  effected  no  more  than 
the  preceding.  Glendower  was  still  virtually  master  of  Wales. 
Cardiff  had  been  burned  by  him,  with  its  numerous  priories 


344  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

and  convents,  with  the  exception  of  that  of  the  Franciscans ; 
the  castle  of  Penmarc  and  the  town  and  castle  of  Abergavenny 
had  been  burned,  and  other  strong  places  captured.  The 
Percys  remained  during  this  time  sullen  and  inactive,  although 
somewhat  mollified  by  the  thanks  voted  them  by  Parliament. 
The  king,  as  a  reward  for  their  services,  bestowed  upon  them 
the  estates  of  Douglas.  This,  however,  they  treated  with  scorn, 
for  as  well  might  he  have  presented  to  them  the  city  of  Naples 
or  Paris,  since,  unless  all  Scotland  was  conquered  they  could 
not  come  into  peaceful  mastership  of  the  Douglas  estates. 
Nor,  indeed,  could  the  king  have  intended  it  in  earnest,  for  he 
was  far  too  politic  to  think  of  adding  so  great  an  increase  of 
territory  to  the  estates  of  the  Percys,  who  had  already  shown 
their  power  by  placing  him  on  the  throne,  and  who  might  some 
day  take  back  what  they  had  given  him  by  declaring  in  favour 
of  the  Earl  of  March. 

One  day  in  February,  1403,  Oswald  was  summoned  from 
Stoubes  to  Alnwick,  and  on  his  arrival  there  was  requested  to 
go  to  the  earl's  chamber.  Such  a  summons  was  extremely 
unusual.  Hotspur  had  his  own  estates  and  his  own  retinue 
and  following,  and  was  jointly  with  his  father  warden  of  the 
marches,  and  though  he  dwelt  generally  with  him  at  Alnwick, 
he  had  his  own  portion  of  the  castle.  Thus  it  was  seldom 
that  the  earl  had  any  communication  with  Hotspur's  knights. 
Hastening  to  obey,  Oswald  found  Hotspur  with  his  father. 

"  I  have  a  mission  for  you,  Sir  Oswald,"  Hotspur  said,  "  on 
the  part  of  the  earl  and  myself.  You  know  that  for  a  long 
time  there  has  been  a  disputation  between  my  father  and  the 
Earl  of  Westmoreland  respecting  the  Scottish  prisoners.  The 
earl  sent  a  small  force  to  fight  under  me  at  Homildon,  but  it 
was  a  mere  handful,  and  on  the  strength  of  this  he  advanced 
a  claim  to  a  considerable  share  of  the  ransoms  of  the  prisoners  ; 
or,  since  they  could  not  be  ransomed,  to  the  custody  of  the 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  845 

persons  of  the  Earls  of  Moray  and  Angus.  The  king  has 
now,  contrary  to  all  reason,  inflicted  upon  us  the  indignity  of 
appointing  four  commissioners,  two  of  whom  are  but  knights 
and  the  other  two  men  of  no  consequence,  to  inquire  into 
the  question  between  my  father  and  my  uncle,  the  Earl  of 
Westmoreland. 

"  Does  he  think  that  two  of  his  earls  are  going  to  submit 
themselves  to  so  gross  an  indignity  —  we,  who  are  as  much 
masters  in  the  north  of  England  as  he  is  in  the  south?  —  and 
even  that  he  owes  to  us.  I  have  ridden  over  and  seen  West- 
moreland, who  is  as  indignant  as  we  are,  and  we  at  once 
arranged  the  little  matter  in  which  we  are  at  variance,  and 
agreed  upon  common  measures.  But  this  is  not  all.  Seeing 
that  the  king  absolutely  refused  to  do  to  Mortimer  the  same 
service  that  he  did  to  Lord  Grey,  whose  ransom  he  has  now 
paid  —  and  who,  by  the  way,  has  married  Glendower's  daughter 
Jane  —  Mortimer's  vassals,  with  some  aid  from  ourselves,  have 
raised  the  money  required  to  free  Mortimer.  Now  the  king 
has  interfered  and  has  given  orders  that  such  ransom  shall 
not  be  paid.  'T  is  evident  that  he  determines  to  drive  us  to 
extremities. 

"  I  tell  you  these  things  in  order  that  you  may  see  how 
intolerable  the  condition  of  affairs  has  become.  My  father 
and  myself  believe  that  it  is  the  judgment  of  heaven  upon  us 
for  having  helped  to  dethrone  King  Richard,  the  lawful 
sovereign  of  this  country,  and  to  place  this  usurper  on  the 
throne.  Even  had  Richard's  conduct  rendered  his  deposition 
necessary,  we  did  wrong  in  passing  over  the  lawful  heir,  the 
young  Earl  of  March.  'T  is  true  he  was  but  a  child  at  that 
time,  but  he  is  older  now,  and  we  feel  shame  that  he  should 
be  kept  as  a  prisoner  by  Henry.  Had  not  the  king  perjured 
himself,  we  should  not  have  been  led  into  this  error,  fur, 
before  we  assisted  him,  he  swore  a  great  oath  that  he  had  no 


346  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

intention  of  gaining  the  throne,  but  only  to  regain  his  own 
dukedom  of  Lancaster.  It  was  on  that  ground  that  we  lent 
him  our  aid ;  and  now,  forsooth,  this  perjured  usurper  treats 
us,  who  made  him,  as  dirt  under  his  feet !  We  are  resolved 
to  suffer  it  no  longer ;  and,  since  we  may  not  ransom  Morti- 
mer, we  will  secure  his  freedom  in  other  ways,  and  for  this 
you  may  give  us  your  aid." 

"Assuredly,  Sir  Henry  and  my  Lord  Earl,"  Oswald,  who 
was  deeply  indignant  at  the  unworthy  treatment  of  his  lords, 
replied  hotly.     "  My  life  is  at  your  service." 

"  I  expected  nothing  else,"  Hotspur  said  warmly.  "  The 
matter  stands  thus.  Owen  Glendower  was  a  warm  partisan  of 
King  Richard,  and  was  one  of  the  few  who  remained  faithful 
to  the  end,  thereby  incurring  the  deep  hostility  of  Henry  and 
of  his  adherent  Lord  Grey.  It  was  for  this  his  lands  were 
unjustly  seized,  for  this  that  Henry's  parliament  refused  to 
accede  to  his  complaints,  and  so  drove  him  to  take  up  arms. 
Thus,  then,  in  an  enterprise  against  Henry,  Glendower  is  our 
natural  ally ;  and  we  intend  to  propose  to  him  that  alliance, 
undertaking  that  if  he  will  give  us  aid,  his  claim  to  the  crown 
of  Wales  shall  be  acknowledged,  and  that  he  shall  govern  his 
country  without  interference  from  England. 

"There  is  none  who  could  carry  out  this  negotiation  so 
well  as  yourself,  since  you  can,  by  virtue  of  that  ring  he  gave 
you,  pass  unarmed  to  him,  while  any  other  knight  would  be 
assuredly  slain.  You  will  bear  a  letter,  signed  by  the  earl  and 
myself,  offering  him  our  friendship  and  alliance  on  those  terms, 
and  explain  to  him  more  fully  the  manner  in  which  we  have 
been  driven  to  throw  off  Henry's  authority.  You  can  tell  him 
that  we  shall  proclaim  the  Earl  of  March  lawful  king ;  and  if 
he  agrees  to  join  in  our  project,  which  would  be  clearly  both  to 
his  liking  and  advantage,  it  would  be  as  well  that  he  should, 
as  soon  as  we   move,  which  may  not  be  for  some  time  yet, 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  347 

release  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer,  who,  as  the  boy's  uncle,  will 
assuredly  raise  his  vassals  on  his  behalf,  now  that  Henry  has 
shown  such  animosity  against  him." 

"  I  will  gladly  undertake  the  mission,  my  lord,  and  all  the 
more  gladly  since  it  may  lead  to  the  liberation  of  Sir  Edmund 
Mortimer,  who  treated  me  with  the  greatest  kindness  and 
condescension  during  my  stay  at  Ludlow." 

"  Prepare  to  start  to-morrow,  then,"  the  earl  said.  "  The 
letter  shall  be  ready  for  you  to-night :  and  beyond  what  my 
son  has  told  you,  you  can  tell  Glendower  that  we  have  good 
hopes  of  large  help  from  Scotland,  with  whom  it  is  said  he  is 
already  in  alliance." 

The  next  morning  Oswald  started,  taking  no  one  but  Roger 
with  him.  He  had  the  evening  before  told  his  squire  only 
that  he  was  starting  on  a  journey,  promising  to  tell  him  more 
as  they  rode.  Accordingly,  when  well  away  from  Alnwick,  lie 
beckoned  to  Roger  to  bring  up  his  horse  alongside  of  him. 

"Where  think  you  that  we  are  going,  Roger?  I  will  give 
you  fifty  guesses,  and  would  warrant  that  you  would  not  come 
at  the  truth." 

"  It  matters  nothing  to  me,  master;  so  that  I  ride  with  you, 
I  am  content." 

"  You  know,  Roger,  how  grievously  the  king  has  treated 
the  Percys  ;  how  he  has  prevented  their  taking  ransom  for 
their  prisoners,  and  has  refused  to  ransom  Sir  Edmund  Mor- 
timer ;  how  he,  in  bitter  jest,  offered  the  earl  the  estates  of 
Douglas;  and  how  he  has  put  upon  them  the  indignity  of 
sending  four  men  of  no  import  to  decide  upon  their  difference 
with  Westmoreland?  " 

"  Ay,  ay,  Sir  Oswald,  everyone  knows  this,  and  not  a  few 
have  wondered  that  the  Percys  have  suffered  these  things  in 
quietness." 

"A  fresh  thing  has  happened,  Roger.     The  tenants  of  Mor- 


348  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

timer,  with  aid  from  the  earl  and  Hotspur,  have  raised  the 
sum  that  Glendower  demanded  as  ransom,  and  now  the  king 
has  laid  on  them  his  order  that  this  money  is  not  to  be  paid." 

"  By  Our  Lady,"  Roger  exclaimed  wrathfully,  "  this  is  too 
much  !  Sir  Edmund  is  a  noble  gentleman,  and  that  the  king 
should  refuse  to  allow  his  friends  to  ransom  him  passes  all 
bounds." 

"  So  the  earl  and  Hotspur  consider,"  Oswald  said,  "  and  ere 
long  you  will  see  that  they  will  hoist  the  banner  of  the  young 
Earl  of  March  and  proclaim  him  King  of  England." 

"  'T  is  good,"  Roger  exclaimed,  slapping  his  hand  on  his  leg. 
"  To  me  it  matters  nought  who  is  King  of  England,  but  I 
always  held  that  it  was  hard  that  King  Richard  should  be 
deposed  and  murdered  by  one  who  was  not  even  his  lawful 
successor.  I  am  not  one  to  question  the  conduct  of  my  lord, 
but  I  always  thought  that  the  Percys  were  wrong  in  bringing 
this  usurper  over." 

"  They  feel  that  themselves,  Roger,  and  consider  the  ingrati- 
tude of  the  king  to  be  a  punishment  upon  them  for  having 
aided  him  to  the  throne." 

"  But  what  has  this  to  do  with  your  journey,  master?'* 

"  It  has  much  to  do  with  it,  Roger,  seeing  that  I  am  on  my 
way  to  Glendower  to  offer  him  alliance  with  the  Percys." 

"  A  good  step  !  "  Roger  exclaimed.  "  We  know  that  these 
Welsh  can  fight." 

"  Moreover,  Roger,  it  may  bring  about  the  freeing  of  Morti- 
mer, for  the  evil  feeling  the  king  has  shown  against  him  will 
surely  drive  him  to  raise  all  his  vassals  and  those  of  the  young 
earl  in  Herefordshire  and  elsewhere,  and  thus  the  Percys  will 
gain  two  powerful  allies,  Glendower  and  Mortimer,  and  as 
they  advance  from  the  north  the  Welsh  and  Mortimer  will 
join  them  from  the  west.  When  victory  is  gained  there  will 
be  peace  on  the  Welsh  marches.     Owen  will  be  recognised 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  349 

for  what  he  is,  the  King  of  Wales,  and  doubtless  he  will  then 
suffer  the  English  to  live  quietly  there,  just  as  the  Welsh  have 
lived  quietly  in  England.  Then,  too,  all  the  western  counties 
will  see  that  it  is  their  interest  to  side  with  Mortimer  and 
Glendower.  Four  times  during  the  last  three  years  have  they 
been  called  out  and  forced  to  leave  their  homes  to  follow  the 
king  into  Wales,  and  as  often  have  had  to  return,  leaving 
behind  them  many  of  their  number.  They  will  see  that  if 
Glendower  is  acknowledged  King  of  Wales,  this  hard  and 
grievous  service  will  no  longer  be  required  of  them." 

"  That  is  so,  Sir  Oswald,  and  in  truth  I  like  the  project  well. 
It  matters  not  a  straw  to  me  who  is  king,  but  if  a  king  treats 
my  lords  scurvily  I  am  ready  to  shout  '  Down  with  him  ! '  and 
to  do  my  best  to  put  another  up  in  his  place ;  though,  indeed, 
't  is  a  salve  to  my  conscience  to  know  that  the  man  I  am  fight- 
ing against  is  a  usurper,  and  one  who  has  set  himself  up  in 
the  place  of  the  lawful  king." 

"  My  conscience  in  no  way  pricks  me,  Roger.  I  fight  at  my 
lord's  order  against  his  foes,  that  is  the  duty  I  have  sworn  to ; 
as  between  him  and  the  king,  't  is  a  matter  for  him  alone.  At 
the  same  time  I  am  glad  that  the  business  is  likely  to  end  in  the 
rescue  of  a  knight  who  has  been  very  kind  to  me.  Between 
Henry  and  the  young  Earl  of  March  I  have  no  opinion,  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  since  Henry  ascended  to  the  throne  by 
might  and  by  the  popular  voice,  he  has  no  cause  to  complain 
if  he  is  put  out  of  it  by  the  same  means." 

"  But,  should  the  war  go  against  the  Percys,  master?" 

"  That  again  is  a  matter  for  the  earl  and  Hotspur.  They 
know  what  force  they  and  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland  can  put 
in  the  field.  They  know  that  Glendower  can  aid  with  ten 
thousand  Welshmen,  and  that  Mortimer  can  raise  three  or  four 
thousand  men  from  his  vassals.  They  should  know  what  help 
they  can  count  on  from  Scotland,  and  doubtless  during  the  last 


350  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

six  months  have  made  themselves  acquainted  with  the  general 
feeling  respecting  the  king.  It  is  upon  them  that  the  risk 
chiefly  falls.  We  knights  and  men-at-arms  may  fall  in  the 
field  of  battle,  but  that  is  a  risk  that  we  know  we  have  to  face 
when  we  take  to  the  calling  of  arms.  If  our  cause  is  lost,  and 
we  escape  from  the  battlefield,  we  have  but  to  depart  to  our 
holds  or  our  villages  and  we  shall  hear  nought  more  of  the 
affair,  while  our  lords,  if  taken,  would  lose  their  heads.  It 
will  be  a  grief  for  us  to  lose  masters  we  love,  and  to  have  to 
pay  our  quittance  with  money  or  service  to  a  new  lord  ;  but 
beyond  that,  we  risk  nought  save  our  lives  in  battle.  There- 
fore I  trouble  myself  in  no  way  as  to  the  matter  between  the 
Percys  and  the  king,  which  I  take  it  in  no  way  concerns  me, 
and  am  content  to  do  my  duty  and  to  render  my  service,  as  I 
have  sworn  to  do." 

"  It  is  well,  Sir  Oswald,"  Roger  said,  after  a  long  pause, 
"  that  Glendower  gave  us  those  rings,  for  from  all  accounts  he 
and  his  Welshmen  are  more  furious  than  ever,  and  there  would 
be  small  chance  of  our  ever  reaching  him  without  them.  The 
chain  did  its  work  last  time.  'T  is  not  every  Welshman  who 
would  stop  to  examine  it  before  striking,  and  few  who  could 
read  the  inscription  if  they  did  so ;  while  't  is  like  that  most  of 
them  are  well  acquainted  with  Glendower's  signet." 

"  That  is  so  ;  but,  nevertheless,  Roger,  it  will  be  better  when 
we  have  once  crossed  the  border  that  you  should  ride  behind 
me  with  a  white  flag  displayed,  as  a  token  that  we  come  not 
for  war  but  on  a  peaceful  mission.  'T  is  probable,  at  any  rate, 
that  any  band  of  Welshmen  who  may  meet  us  will,  in  that  case, 
before  attacking,  stop  to  inquire  on  what  errand  we  come." 

They  rode  fast,  for  the  earl  had  said  that  he  needed  to  have 
the  news  of  Glendower's  decision  before  proceeding  further  in 
the  matter,  and  in  four  days  arrived  on  the  border.  At 
Shrewsbury  Oswald  inquired  carelessly  of  the  host  of  the  inn 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  351 

where  he  put  up,  where  Glendower  was  now  thought  to  be,  as 
he  intended  to  journey  south  to  Hereford,  and  would  fain 
know  whether  there  was  any  risk  of  falling  in  with  bands  of  the 
marauders. 

"Methinks,  Sir  Knight,  that  you  may  travel  without  un- 
easiness, seeing  that  the  country  between  this  and  Hereford 
has  been  so  harassed  by  them  that  there  is  nought  to  tempt 
them  to  cross  the  border,  save  with  so  large  a  force  that  they 
can  invade  Gloucester  or  Worcestershire.  Men  say,  moreover, 
that  Glendower  is  at  present  in  Cardiganshire.  There  are  still 
a  few  Welsh  inhabitants  here.  They  declare  that  they  are 
loyal  to  the  king,  and  love  not  their  wild  countrymen. 
Whether  it  is  so  or  not  I  cannot  say,  but  they  certainly 
manage  to  keep  up  communications  with  the  Welsh.  This 
may  be  for  a  treacherous  purpose,  or  it  may  be  as  they  say 
that,  knowing  that  they  and  all  belonging  to  them  would  be 
slain  should  Glendower  capture  the  town,  they,  for  their  own 
safety,  try  to  learn  his  intentions  and  movements,  in  order  to 
warn  us  should  a  surprise  be  intended." 

Starting  early  the  next  morning  Oswald  crossed  into  Mont- 
gomeryshire by  a  road  through  Worktree  Forest,  so  as  to  avoid 
both  Ludlow  and  Welshpool,  and  kept  along  by  a  country 
track  near  the  border  of  Radnor,  so  passing  south  of  Llanidloes. 
As  soon  as  they  had  left  Radnorshire,  Roger  fastened  to  his 
spear  a  white  cloth  they  had  brought  from  Shrewsbury ;  then 
they  continued  their  journey  west.  It  was  not  until  they  had 
crossed  the  Wye,  here  an  insignificant  stream,  that  they  came 
upon  a  native  of  the  country.  They  were  following  a  track 
between  two  rough  hills  covered  with  brushwood,  when  a  man, 
evidently  of  the  better  class,  stepped  out  before  them. 

"Sir  Knight,"  he  said  in  English,  "  'tis  a  strange  sight  to 
see  an  Englishman  with  one  esquire  travelling  alone  by  so  wild 
and  lonely  a  road  as  this,  and  strange  indeed  that  he  should 


Si)2  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

bear  a  flag  of  truce,  for  were  you  here  on  your  king's  business 
you  would  surely  be  attended  with  a  braver  show.  I  had 
notice  two  hours  ago,  brought  by  one  who  had  seen  you  cross 
the  Wye,  and  in  the  bushes  round  lie  fifty  men  who,  did  I 
raise  my  hand,  would  let  fly  their  arrows  against  you.  But  if 
you  have  reason  for  your  coming  this  way  assuredly  we  should 
not  hinder  you." 

Oswald  held  out  his  hand.  "  This  signet  ring,  sir,  was  given 
me  by  Glendower,  who  said  that  any  Welshman  to  whom  I 
might  show  it  would  act  as  my  guide  and  escort  to  him.  I 
come  on  an  important  mission,  not  from  the  king,  but  from 
one  from  whom  Glendower  may  be  glad  to  hear ;  therefore  I 
pray  you  take  me  to  him,  or  at  least  send  a  party  of  your  men, 
for  I  might  peradventure  fall  in  with  some  who  would  shoot 
before  they  questioned." 

"  'T  is  assuredly  the  prince's  signet,"  the  man  said  after  care- 
fully examining  it,  "  and  right  gladly  will  I  escort  you  to  him. 
He  is  at  present  at  Aberystwith." 

"  Thanks  for  your  courtesy,  sir.     To  whom  am  I  speaking?  " 

"  My  name  is  Howel  ap  Ryddyn.  You  passed  my  abode, 
which  cannot  be  seen  from  the  road,  and  I  would,  were  you 
not  pressed  for  time,  gladly  entertain  you  ;  but  if  we  push  for- 
ward we  may  reach  Aberystwith  before  nightfall,  and  I  make 
no  question  that  would  better  suit  your  wishes." 

"  Thanks,  sir.  My  business  is  somewhat  urgent,  and  I  shall 
be  glad  to  meet  the  prince  as  soon  as  possible ;  indeed,  I 
should  not  be  sorry  to  reach  a  spot  where  we  can  sup  and 
sleep,  seeing  that  we  have  twice  slept  in  the  woods  since  we 
left  Shrewsbury." 

The  man  called  out  an  order  in  Welsh ;  four  men  at  once 
issued  from  the  bushes,  and  under  their  guidance  the  horse- 
men soon  reached  Aberystwith. 

"  I  had  scarce  expected  this  pleasure,  Sir  Oswald,"  Glen- 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  353 

dower  said  warmly,  as  the  young  knight  entered.  "  To  what 
good  fortune  do  I  owe  your  visit  ?  But  no,  't  is  but  poor 
hospitality  questioning  thus,  when  it  will  be  time  enough  to 
talk  of  such  things  later." 

"  And  't  is  a  matter  that  is  best  discussed  in  private,"  Oswald 
replied  in  an  undertone. 

"  And  how  have  you  fared  since  we  parted?" 

"  Since  I  saw  you  over  a  year  ago  the  time  has  passed 
quietly,  save  for  the  battle  with  the  Scots,  where,  although  we 
beat  them,  there  was  no  credit  gained  by  the  knights  and 
men-at-arms,  seeing  that  the  archers  alone  did  the  fighting." 

"  So  I  heard.  On  our  side  we  have  been  busy  ever 
since." 

"  And  successful  too,  as  I  have  heard." 

"  Yes,  fortune  has  been  in  our  favour.  Lord  Grey's  ransom 
has  been  of  much  use  to  us,  and,  having  married  my  daughter 
Jane,  he  can  no  longer  be  considered  a  foe.  Yet,  to  do  him 
justice,  he  would  not  promise  even  to  stand  neutral,  though, 
unless  under  special  orders  from  the  king,  he  will  not  draw 
his  sword  again.  I  love  a  stanch  man  ;  and  though  Grey  has 
taken,  as  I  consider,  the  wrong  side,  he  stands  to  it  faithfully. 
I  offered  him  freedom  without  ransom  if  he  would  promise 
neutrality,  and  that  when  I  had  put  down  all  other  opposition 
he  would  hold  his  Welsh  lands  from  me  ;  but  he  refused,  and 
said  that  he  would  rather  remain  in  chains  all  his  life  than  be 
false  to  his  vows  to  Henry. 

"  That  was  good,  and  I  would  that  all  Welshmen  were  as 
faithful.  They  take  the  oath  to  me»one  week,  and  make  their 
peace  with  Henry  the  next.  Nay,  some  to  please  him  would 
go  so  far  as  to  try  to  assassinate  me.  Two  such  plots  have 
there  been  this  year,  and  it  was  only  that  I  wore  a  good  mail 
shirt  under  my  garments  that  my  life  was  saved  from  a  bow- 
shot, and   from  one  who  professed  to  be  my  warm  friend,  and 

-3 


354  BOTH   SIDES  THE   BORDER 

who  had  broken  bread  with  me  half  an  hour  before.  It  is 
destiny,  Sir  Oswald.  The  powers  watch  over  me  and  keep  me 
from  harm,  and  these  will,  I  know,  protect  me  to  the  end 
against  the  stroke  of  English  foes  or  of  Welsh  traitors." 

After  supper  was  over,  Glendower  led  Oswald  to  his  private 
chamber. 

"  Now,  Sir  Oswald,  you  can  speak  freely.  I  have  placed  a 
guard  outside  the  door,  and  there  is  no  fear  of  interruption. 
Do  you  come  on  your  own  account  or  from  another?  " 

"  I  come  from  the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  and  his  son  Sir 
Henry  Percy,  and  am  charged  in  the  first  place  to  deliver  this 
letter  to  you,  and  then  to  give  you  such  further  intelligence  as 
to  the  matter  as  it  may  be  needful  for  you  to  know." 

"  From  the  Percys  !  "  Glendower  said  in  surprise,  as  he  cut 
the  silk  that  held  the  roll  together.  His  countenance  ex- 
pressed great  surprise  as  he  read  the  contents.  "  There  is  no 
snare  in  this?  "  he  said  suddenly,  after  reading  it  through  two 
or  three  times,  and  looking  sharply  at  Oswald.  "  'T  is  not 
from  the  Percys,  who  more  than  any  other  assisted  the  usurper 
to  the  throne,  that  I  should  have  looked  for  such  an  offer." 

"  I  should  be  the  last  to  bring  such  a  letter  to  you,  Glen- 
dower, were  there  aught  behind  what  is  written.  The  earl 
and  Hotspur  spoke  of  the  matter  at  length  to  me.  They  regret 
now  the  part  they  took  in  enthroning  Henry,  at  whose  hands 
they  have  now  received  such  indignities  that  they  are  resolved, 
if  it  may  be,  to  undo  their  work,  and  to  place  the  lawful  king, 
the  young  Earl  of  March,  on  the  throne." 

He  then  related  the  various  complaints  that  the  Percys  had 
against  the  king,  and  told  Glendower  that  the  matter  had  been 
brought  to  a  head  by  Henry's  refusal  to  allow  them  to  pay  the 
ransom  that  had  been  collected  for  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer. 

"  Whom  have  they  with  them  ? "  Glendower  asked,  after 
listening  in  silence. 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  355 

"  They  have  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland,  who,  like  themselves, 
is  greatly  offended  at  the  appointment  of  four  commissioners, 
men  of  no  standing  or  position,  to  judge  between  two  of  the 
great  barons  of  England,  blood  relations  too,  whose  difference 
is  on  a  matter  of  but  small  importance.  No  other  name  was 
mentioned  before  me,  but  the  earl  stated  that  he  looked  for 
much  assistance  from  Scotland." 

"  Ay,  ay  !  As  they  hold  in  their  hands  Douglas  and  the 
Regent's  son,  Moray  and  Angus,  they  may  well  make  terms 
with  Scotland.  Yes,  it  is  a  very  great  plot,  and  since  I  can 
get  no  ransom  for  Mortimer,  and  he  can  raise  some  three  or 
four  thousand  men,  he  would  be  of  more  value  to  us  free  than 
as  a  prisoner." 

"It  is  not  only  that,"  Oswald  said;  "the  fact  that  he,  as 
young  March's  uncle,  should  head  his  following  and  raise  his 
banner,  will  show  that  the  Percys  and  you  are  not  using  young 
March's  name  as  a  mere  pretext  for  taking  up  arms.  If 
Mortimer,  the  head  of  his  house  during  his  minority,  and 
guardian  of  his  estates,  were  with  them,  men  would  see  that 
't  is  really  a  struggle  to  place  the  lawful  king  on  the  throne, 
and  many  would  join  who,  did  they  think  it  was  but  an  affair 
between  the  Percys,  of  whom  they  know  but  little  in  the  south, 
and  you,  whom  they  have  been  taught  to  consider  a  rebel, 
would  stand  aloof." 

"  'T  is  well  thought  of,  and  the  project  pleases  me.  Even 
without  such  allies,  I  may  hold  my  mountains  and  continue 
my  warfare,  but  there  could  be  neither  peace  nor  prosperity 
for  years ;  but  with  the  overthrow  of  the  usurper  and  my 
acknowledgment  as  King  of  Wales,  and  of  the  entire  indepen- 
dence of  the  country  from  the  Dee  to  the  Severn,  the  freedom 
of  my  country  might  be  permanently  secured.  But  I  will  give 
no  certain  answer  to-night.  'T  is  a  matter  to  be  turned  over 
in  my  mind,  as  it  seems  to  me  that  I  may  gain  much  good  by 


356  BOTH    SIDES   THE    BORDER 

the  alliance,  and  that  even  if  the  Percys  fail  in  their  enterprise, 
I  can  be  no  worse  off  than  I  am  at  present." 

It  was  not  until  the  following  evening  that  Glendower  gave 
a  decided  answer.  "  I  accept  Percy's  offer,"  he  said.  "  I  have 
thought  it  over  in  every  way ;  even  putting  aside  the  benefits 
to  my  country  and  myself,  I  would  enter  upon  it  were  it  but 
for  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  usurper  and  murderer  of  my 
dear  master,  King  Richard,  have  the  same  measure  meted  out 
to  him  that  he  gave  to  his  sovereign.  To-night  I  will  write  an 
answer  to  the  Percys  for  you  to  bear  to  them.  To-morrow 
morning  I  will  ride  with  you  to  the  stronghold  where  Morti- 
mer is  at  present  held  in  durance,  and  if  he  consents  to  join 
us  I  will  give  him  his  freedom  without  ransom." 

They  started  the  next  morning  early,  and  at  noon  arrived  at 
a  strong  house  lying  in  the  heart  of  the  hills. 

"  It  were  best  that  you  should  see  him  first,  Sir  Oswald, 
and  explain  the  matter  to  him ;  after  that  I  will  meet  him 
with  you." 

Great  was  the  astonishment  of  Sir  Edmund  when  Oswald 
was  ushered  into  the  little  room  in  which  he  was  confined.  It 
was  some  ten  feet  square,  furnished  with  a  pallet,  chair,  and 
small  table.  The  window  was  very  strongly  barred,  and 
Oswald  observed  with  pain  that  his  ten  months'  imprisonment 
had  told  very  heavily  upon  Mortimer. 

"  Why,  Oswald  !  Ah  !  I  see  I  should  say  Sir  Oswald.  What 
brings  you  here  ?  Some  good  news,  I  trust.  Has  my  ransom 
been  collected?  " 

"  It  has  been  collected,  Sir  Edmund,"  Oswald  said,  as  they 
shook  hands,  "  but  the  king,  who  refused  altogether  to  pay 
your  ransom  as  he  did  Lord  Grey's,  has  forbidden  the  money, 
raised  partly  by  your  tenants  and  partly  by  the  tenants  of 
your  nephew,  to  be  handed  over.  'T  is  clear  that  he  views  you 
as  an  enemy,  and  has  indeed  ventured  to  declare  his  belief 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  357 

that  your  capture  by  Glendower  was  a  thing  arranged  before- 
hand." 

"  He  lies  !  "  Sir  Edmund  exclaimed  angrily.  "  We  fought 
stoutly,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  treachery  of  the  Welsh 
bowmen,  should  have  won  the  day.  Then,  how  stands  the 
matter,  Sir  Oswald,  and  how  is  it  that  you  are  here  ? " 

Oswald  then  related  the  purport  of  his  mission,  and  gave 
Mortimer  some  messages  with  which  Hotspur  had  charged 
him  on  the  evening  before  he  started. 

"  Assuredly  I  will  join,"  Sir  Edmund  exclaimed,  when  Oswald 
brought  his  story  to  a  conclusion.  "  Have  I  not  suffered 
enough  by  keeping  a  force  on  foot,  by  having  my  lands 
harried  and  my  vassals  slain,  in  order  to  support  Henry's 
claims  to  the  kingdom  of  Wales,  only  to  be  suspected  of 
treachery  ?  Had  I  intended  to  join  Glendower,  I  should  have 
done  so  a  year  before,  and  with  my  force  and  his  we  could 
have  kept  Henry  at  bay.  Why  should  I  have  kept  up  the 
pretext  of  loyalty  when  there  was  nought  to  have  prevented 
my  joining  Glendower?  Why  should  I  have  fought  him  at 
the  cost  of  the  lives  of  some  twelve  hundred  of  my  men,  when 
I  could  have  marched  them  into  his  camp  as  friends?  Why 
should  I  suffer  nine  months  of  close  imprisonment  at  the 
hands  of  an  ally? 

"  Henry  lied,  and  knew  that  he  lied,  when  he  brought  such 
a  charge  against  me.  He  wished  to  be  able  to  work  his  will 
on  the  young  earl,  and  maybe  to  murder  him  as  he  murdered 
Richard,  without  there  being  one  powerful  enough  to  lift  his 
voice  to  condemn  the  murder.  All  is  at  an  end  between  us, 
and  henceforth  I  am  his  open  enemy,  as  he  is  mine,  and  would 
be  heart  and  soul  with  the  Percys  in  the  overthrow  of  Henry, 
even  if  my  nephew  were  not  concerned,  and  did  the  earl  pur- 
pose himself  to  grasp  the  crown." 

"  ( rlendower  is  below,  Sir  Edmund,  and  will  himself  speak 


358  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

to  you,  but  he  thought  that  it  were  best  that  I  should  first 
open  the  matter  to  you." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  keeper  of  the  hold  came  up 
and  said  that  the  prince  bade  Sir  Edmund  to  descend  and 
speak  with  him. 

As  they  entered  the  room  where  Glendower  was  waiting, 
the  latter  glanced  at  Oswald  inquiringly. 

"The  matter  is  settled,"  the  latter  said;  "Sir  Edmund  will 
join  us  with  heart  and  hand." 

"  I  am  indeed  glad  to  hear  it,  Sir  Oswald.  Sir  Edmund 
Mortimer,"  he  went  on  courteously,  "  hitherto  we  have  re- 
garded each  other  as  enemies ;  henceforth  we  are  friends,  and 
you  are  my  guest  and  not  my  prisoner.  I  have  thought  it 
over,  and  methinks  that  you  must  tarry  here  till  we  have 
certain  news  of  the  day  on  which  the  Percys  will  set  on  foot 
their  enterprise.  It  would  not  be  safe  for  you  to  return  to 
your  estates  until  you  are  in  a  position  to  call  your  vassals 
to  arms  at  once,  for  the  king,  were  he  to  hear  that  you  were 
at  Ludlow,  might  call  on  the  lieutenants  of  the  western  coun- 
ties, and  the  owners  of  all  the  castles,  to  attack  you  at  once. 
Therefore,  until  it  is  time  to  strike  it  were  best  that  you 
should  remain  with  me.  I  do  not  propose  that  you  should 
accompany  me  on  my  expeditions,  for  to  do  so  might  do  harm 
across  the  border ;  I  will  therefore  assign  you  a  suitable 
house  at  Aberystwith,  with  such  attendance  and  furnishing  as 
are  due  to  a  guest  of  your  quality.  The  prospect  seems  to  be 
a  fair  one.  The  northern  lords,  aided  by  the  Scots,  should  by 
themselves  be  a  match  for  any  gathering  Henry  could  collect 
at  short  notice,  and  joined  by  my  forces  and  yours  should 
surely  be  able  to  overthrow  all  opposition." 

"  So  it  appears  to  me,"  Sir  Edmund  said.  "  'T  is  indeed  a 
powerful  confederation,  and,  if  all  goes  well,  ought  to  leave  no 
option  to  the  usurper  but  to  die  in  battle  or  to  fly  to  France." 


THE   PERCYS'    DISCONTENT  359 

"  Will  you  return  with  us  to  Aberystwith,  Sir  Oswald  ? " 
Glendower  presently  asked  the  young  knight. 

"  I  will  ride  straight  for  England,  with  your  permission," 
Oswald  said.  "  I  am  already  thirty  miles  on  my  way,  and  the 
Percys  urged  me  to  return  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  So  be  it.  As  soon  as  we  have  dined,  an  officer  and  four 
horsemen  will  be  in  readiness  to  ride  with  you  as  an  escort." 

A  week  later  Oswald  reached  Alnwick.  He  was  the  bearer 
of  letters  from  Glendower  and  Mortimer,  and  was  able  to 
report  the  complete  success  of  his  mission.  As  a  mark  of 
his  satisfaction,  the  earl  ordered  a  deed  of  gift  to  be  made  to 
him  of  a  large  strip  of  land  extending  over  the  hills  between 
Stoubes  and  Yardhope. 

"  Some  day,"  he  said,  as  he  handed  the  document  to  him, 
"  you  will  be  master  of  Yardhope,  and  by  thus  joining  that  feu 
to  that  of  Stoubes  you  will  have  an  estate  that  will  make  you 
a  power  in  the  upper  glades  of  Reddesdale  and  Coquetdale, 
and  will  support  the  dignity  of  a  knight  banneret,  which  I 
now  bestow  upon  you,  and  also  appoint  you  a  deputy  warden 
of  the  marches,  with  power  of  life  and  death  over  all  marauders, 
reivers,  and  outlaws.  I  have  long  felt  that  it  would  be  well 
that  there  should  be  one  who,  in  case  of  necessity,  could  raise 
a  hundred  spears  and  so  prevent  bodies  of  marauders  from  the 
other  side  of  the  border  making  sudden  irruptions  into  the 
dales,  and  from  what  I  have  heard  of  you  from  Sir  Henry  I 
am  sure  that  you  will  carry  out  the  charge  most  worthily." 

The  new  acquisition  would  not  very  largely  increase  Oswald's 
revenues,  for  the  greater  portion  of  the  grant  was  hill  and 
moor.  Nevertheless,  there  were  a  good  many  houses  and 
small  villages  scattered  in  the  dales,  and  it  was  these  that 
raised  the  tract  of  land  to  the  value  of  a  knight's  feu.  In 
point  of  position,  however,  it  was  a  large  addition.  As  a 
knight  banneret,  with  the  castle  of  Stoubes  at  one  end  of  his 


360  BOTH    SIDES    THE    BORDER 

holding  and  the  hold  of  Yardhope  at  the  other,  he  would 
occupy  an  important  position  on  the  border,  and  could  raise 
at  least  a  hundred  spears  among  his  tenants,  in  addition  to 
the  men-at-arms  of  the   two  strongholds. 

Three  days  later  Hotspur  released  the  whole  of  his  Scottish 
prisoners  and  sent  them  under  escort  to  the  border.  The 
Percys  now  began  in  earnest  their  preparations  for  war.  For 
greater  convenience,  Hotspur  went  down  to  Morpeth,  while 
the  earl  betook  himself  to  Berwick-on-Tweed,  where  he  could 
confer  more  easily  with  his  Scottish  allies,  who  on  their  part 
were  carrying  out  the  condition  on  which  they  had  been  re- 
leased without  ransom,  namely,  that  they  would  join  their 
forces  to  those  of  the  Percys.  Oswald  made  another  journey 
to  Wales,  this  time  by  ship  from  Carlisle  to  Aberystwith,  and 
there  acquainted  Glendower  and  Mortimer  with  the  prepara- 
tions that  had  been  made,  assuring  them  that  the  rising 
would  take  place  at  the  end  of  May.  He  also  asked  Glen- 
dower to  raise  as  large  an  army  as  possible  without  delay,  and 
Sir  Edmund  Mortimer  to  betake  himself  at  once  to  Hereford, 
there  to  raise  his  banner  and  summon  his  vassals  and  those  of 
the  Earl  of  March  to  join  him  —  the  king  having  on  his  return 
from  his  last  expedition  entered  Ludlow,  seized  Mortimer's 
plate  and  other  property,  and  appointed  to  the  governorship 
of  Ludlow,  a  knight  on  whose  devotion  he  could  rely. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

SHREWSBURY 


THE  Percys'  preparations  could  not  be  carried  on  without 
exciting  attention,  and  in  March,  the  king,  seeing  that 
the    open   defiance    of  his  authority  by   the    release    of  the 


SHREWSBURY  361 

Scottish  prisoners  would  assuredly  be  followed  by  armed  rebel- 
lion, which  the  Douglas  would  probably  have  pledged  himself 
to  aid  as  the  condition  of  his  release,  began  on  his  side  to 
make  similar  preparations.  Levies  were  called  out,  and  the 
Prince  of  Wales  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Welsh 
marches  and  the  governorship  of  Wales.  Towards  the  end  of 
June,  Douglas,  faithful  to  his  agreement,  crossed  the  frontier,  and 
was  at  once  joined  by  Hotspur  with  the  force  he  had  gathered. 
Hotspur's  father  was  lying  sick  at  Berwick,  but  was  to  follow 
as  speedily  as  possible  with  the  army  collected  in  the  north  of 
the  county  and  from  Dunbar's  estates. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  Glendower  should  meet  the 
allies  at  Lichfield ;  and,  on  his  being  joined  by  his  uncle,  the 
Earl  of  Westmoreland,  with  his  following,  Hotspur  marched 
south.  His  intention  was,  after  effecting  a  junction  with  Glen- 
dower, to  march  and  give  battle  to  the  army  with  which 
Henry  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  were  advancing  against  him. 
At  Lichfield,  however,  he  learned  that  Glendower  had  not 
completed  his  preparations  in  sufficient  time  to  join  him.  He 
therefore  changed  his  direction,  and  made  for  Shrewsbury, 
towards  which  place  Glendower  was  marching.  Percy's  array 
had  swollen  as  he  went  south.  He  had  been  joined  by  a 
number  of  archers  from  Cheshire  and  by  other  adherents  of 
the  late  king,  these  regarding  the  war  as  an  attempt,  not  to 
place  the  Earl  of  March  upon  the  throne,  but  to  overthrow 
the  usurper  who  had  dethroned  their  king. 

Oswald  rode  with  sixty  spearmen  from  his  own  estate, 
while  his  father,  with  thirty  men  from  Yardhope,  rode  in  his 
company.  Both  regarded  the  failure  of  Glendower  to  come 
to  the  place  appointed  as  a  serious  misfortune. 

"Of  course,"  Oswald  said,  "if  he  joins  you  at  Shrewsbury 
before  the  king  comes  up  it  will  not  matter  much,  and  indeed 
would  be  in  one  respect  the  better.     Mortimer  with  his  force 


362  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

will  be  coming  on,  and  though  he  is  scarce  likely  to  arrive  at 
Shrewsbury  in  time  for  the  battle,  for  he  could  not  leave 
Wales  to  summon  his  levies  to  the  field  until  the  Prince  of 
Wales  had  drawn  off  his  force  and  marched  to  join  his  father, 
his  reinforcement  afterwards  will  fill  up  the  gaps  in  our  ranks, 
and  be  a  great  assistance  should  Henry  be  able  to  rally  another 
army  in  the  Midlands.  He  cannot  hope  to  do  so  before  we 
reach  London." 

"  That  sounds  fairly,  Oswald,  but  't  is  always  better  to  carry 
out  the  plans  you  have  made,  and  this  absence  of  Glendower 
at  the  point  arranged,  to  my  mind  augurs  ill." 

Henry  was  an  able  general.  Believing  that  the  Percys 
would  make  for  the  Welsh  border,  he  had  posted  himself  at 
Burton- on-Trent ;  but  as  soon  as  he  heard  that  they  had 
changed  their  course  he  started  for  Shrewsbury,  and  marched 
so  quickly  that  he  arrived  there  before  Hotspur,  thus  throwing 
himself  between  the  Percys  and  the  Welsh.  Hotspur,  on  arriv- 
ing near  the  town,  was  enraged  at  hearing  that  Glendower 
had  not  arrived  according  to  his  promise.  The  king's  army 
was  encamped  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  town,  and  the  north- 
ern forces  took  post  a  short  distance  away.  That  night  Hot- 
spur sent  a  document  into  the  royal  camp,  declaring  Henry  to 
be  forsworn  and  perjured,  —  in  the  first  place,  because  he  had 
sworn  under  Holy  Gospel  that  he  would  claim  nothing  but  his 
own  proper  inheritance,  and  that  Richard  should  reign  to  the 
end  of  his  life ;  secondly,  because  he  had  raised  taxes  and 
other  impositions  contrary  to  his  oath  and  by  his  own 
arbitrary  power ;  thirdly,  because  he  had  caused  King  Richard 
to  be  kept  in  the  castle  of  Pontefract  without  meat,  drink,  or 
fire,  whereof  he  perished  of  hunger,  thirst,  and  cold. 

There  were  other  clauses,  some  of  them  regarding  his  con- 
duct to  Sir  Edmund  Mortimer ;  the  claims  of  the  young  Earl 
of  March  to  the  throne  were  also  set  forward,  and  the  docu- 


SHREWSBURY  363 

ment  ended  with  a  defiance.  Henry  simply  sent  as  reply,  that 
he  had  no  time  to  lose  in  writing,  but  that  he  would,  in  the 
morning,  prove  in  battle  whose  claims  were  false  and  feigned. 
Nevertheless,  in  the  morning,  when  the  two  armies  were 
arrayed  in  the  order  of  battle,  the  king  sent  the  Abbot  of 
Shrewsbury  to  propose  an  amicable  arrangement.  Hotspur 
and  Douglas,  however,  rejected  the  offer  :  the  trumpets  then 
blew  on  either  side,  and  the  armies  joined  battle. 

Their  numbers  were  about  equal ;  each  consisted  of  some 
fourteen  thousand  men.  Douglas  and  Hotspur  had  taken 
their  place  in  the  centre  of  their  line,  having  behind  them  a 
party  of  their  best  knights.  These  charged  with  fury  down 
upon  the  king's  standard,  which  stood  in  the  centre  of  his  array. 
Hotspur  and  Douglas,  his  former  rival,  were  accounted  two  of 
the  best  knights  in  Christendom,  and  the  fury  of  their  charge 
was  irresistible.  The  centre  of  the  royal  line  was  cleft  in 
sunder,  the  king's  guards  were  at  once  dispersed,  and  had 
not  Henry  taken  the  precaution  of  arraying  himself  in  plain 
armour,  while  two  of  his  knights  had  put  on  royal  surcoats, 
the  battle  would  at  once  have  been  decided.  As  it  was,  the 
two  knights  were  both  killed,  as  were  the  Earl  of  Stafford  and 
Sir  Walter  Blount.  The  royal  standard  was  overthrown,  and 
the  young  Prince  of  Wales  sorely  wounded  in  the  face. 

He  had  already  shown  signs  of  great  military  talent,  and  in 
spite  of  his  wound  now  showed  a  courage  and  presence  of 
mind  that  justified  the  confidence  his  father  had  shown  in  giv- 
ing him  important  commands.  He  rode  hither  and  thither 
among  the  disorganised  troops,  saw  that  the  gap  in  the  centre 
was  again  closed  up,  and  was  ever  to  be  met  where  the  fight 
was  hottest.  The  impetuous  charge  of  Hotspur  and  Douglas 
was  the  ruin  of  themselves  and  their  army.  Had  they  paused 
until  their  troops  had  advanced  close  to  the  enemy,  and  the 
mounted  men-at-arms  were  all  ranged  closelv  U~v>;nrl  them  and 


364  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

in  a  position  to  support  them,  the  fight  would  assuredly  have 
speedily  terminated  in  their  favour;  but  before  these  arrived 
the  royal  army  had  closed  its  ranks,  and  the  rebel  leaders  with 
all  their  principal  knights  were  cut  off  from  the  main  body.  In 
vain  the  men  of  the  north  tried  to  cut  their  way  through  the 
southern  ranks  and  to  come  to  the  assistance  of  their  chiefs, 
who,  surrounded  now  by  the  English  knights  and  men-at-arms, 
were  fighting  desperately  against  overwhelming  numbers.  Ai 
hour  after  the  battle  began  many  parties  of  Welshmen  came  up 
and  joined  in  the  conflict ;  but  the  absence  of  leaders,  and  the 
loss  of  their  respective  captains,  Hotspur  and  Douglas,  para- 
lysed the  efforts  of  the  Northumbrians  and  the  Scottish  con- 
tingent.    Yet  both  fought  stoutly,  and  suffered  very  heavy  losses. 

For  upwards  of  two  hours  Hotspur  maintained  the  unequal 
fight,  but  at  length  an  arrow  pierced  Hotspur's  vizor,  and  he 
fell  dead  from  his  horse.  Further  resistance  was  useless,  and 
the  survivors  of  the  group,  which  had  been  reduced  to  a  mere 
handful,  surrendered.  For  another  half-hour  the  main  battle 
raged ;  then  came  the  news  that  Hotspur  was  killed  and 
Douglas  and  Westmoreland  prisoners ;  the  English  horsemen 
dashed  down  on  the  flanks  of  the  northern  line,  the  spearmen 
pressed  forward,  and  the  Scotch  and  Northumbrians  broke  and 
fled. 

When  the  knights  first  charged,  Oswald  had  been  with  his 
own  following  and  a  hundred  other  horsemen  on  the  left  flank. 
As  soon  as  he  saw  what  had  happened  he  endeavoured  to  ride 
round  the  right  flank  of  the  royal  army,  but  was  met  by  a  much 
larger  force  of  men-at-arms,  and,  after  hard  fighting,  driven 
back.  Oswald  himself,  with  Roger  on  one  hand  and  his  father 
on  the  other,  had  several  times  hewed  his  way  deep  into  the 
enemy's  squadron,  and  would  have  been  cut  off  had  not  the 
Yardhope  moss-troopers  spurred  furiously  in  to  the  rescue  and 
brought  them  all  off  again. 


SHREWSBURY  365 

Several  times  the  charge  was  renewed,  but  ineffectually. 
Half  the  rebel  army  had  been  killed,  and  when  at  last  the 
infantry  broke  and  it  was  clear  that  there  was  no  more  to  be 
done,  Oswald,  who  was  wounded  in  half  a  dozen  places,  called 
the  survivors  of  his  troop  to  follow  him,  and  with  his  party 
rode  off  in  good  order.  A  mile  from  the  field  they  halted  for 
a  few  minutes ;  not  one  of  them  but  had  been  more  or  less 
severely  wounded  in  the  desperate  mel£e.  They  now  took  off 
their  armour  and  bandaged  each  other's  wounds,  and  then, 
mounting  again,  they  rode  off. 

"What  do  you  say,  father,"  Oswald  asked;  "shall  we  circle 
round  and  join  Glendower?  We  know  that  his  army  is  close 
at  hand,  and  were  they  to  attack  to-night  they  should  win  an 
easy  victory,  for  the  king's  men  have  suffered  well-nigh  as 
sorely  as  we  have." 

"  No,  Oswald ;  we  have  done  enough.  We  have  not  been 
fighting  for  the  Earl  of  March ;  we  have  been  simply  following 
our  feudal  lord  as  we  were  bound  to  do.  He  is  dead,  and  we 
have  nought  to  do  with  this  quarrel.  What  is  it  to  us  whether 
March  or  Henry  is  king?  " 

They  were  not  pursued.  The  greater  part  of  the  English 
cavalry  were  exhausted  by  their  exertions  against  Hotspur  and 
Douglas.  Their  loss  was  extremely  heavy,  and  those  in  a 
condition  to  pursue  took  up  the  comparatively  easy  work  of 
cutting  down  the  flying  footmen. 

The  battle  had  been  a  disastrous  one  for  both  sides.  Their 
losses  were  about  even,  the  number  who  fell  altogether  being 
put  at  ten  thousand  men.  With  Douglas,  the  Earl  of  West- 
moreland, liaron  of  Kinderton,  Sir  Richard  Vernon,  and  other 
knights  were  captured.  Westmoreland,  Kinderton,  and  Vernon 
were  at  once  executed  on  the  field  of  battle  as  rebels ;  but 
Douglas,  as  a  foreign  knight,  was  simply  viewed  as  a  prisoner 
of  war,  and  was  kindly  treated. 


3<jC  coth  sides  the  border 

Glendower  took  no  advantage  of  the  opportunity  for  strik- 
ing a  blow  at  the  royal  army,  and  instead  of  attacking  it  when 
spent  by  fatigue  and  encumbered  with  wounds,  retired  at  once 
to  Wales.  Had  he,  instead  of  doing  this,  marched  to  meet  Sir 
Edmund  Mortimer,  who  was  hurrying  forward  with  a  powerful 
array,  the  united  force  would  have  been  fully  double  the 
strength  of  the  English  army,  and  a  great  commander  would 
at  once  have  fought  a  battle  that  would  probably  have  altered 
the  whole  course  of  events  in  England.  Glendower's  conduct 
here  showed  that,  although  an  able  partisan  leader  in  an  irreg- 
ular warfare,  he  had  no  claim  whatever  to  be  considered  a 
great  general. 

Travelling  rapidly,  Oswald  and  his  party  crossed  the  Tyne, 
and  hearing  that  the  earl,  now  recovered  from  his  illness,  was 
marching  down  with  his  army  to  join  his  son,  they  rode  to 
meet  him.  It  was  a  painful  duty  that  Oswald  had  to  discharge, 
and  the  old  earl,  when  he  heard  of  the  defeat  of  the  army,  the 
death  of  the  son  to  whom  he  was  deeply  attached,  and  the 
capture  of  his  brother,  the  Earl  of  Westmoreland,  gave  way  to 
despair,  dismissed  his  army  to  their  homes  at  once,  and  retired 
completely  broken  down  in  body  and  spirit  to  his  castle  at 
Warkworth.  So  depressed  was  he  that  when  royal  messengers 
arrived,  summoning  him  in  the  king's  name  to  surrender  and 
journey  with  him  to  London,  he  instantly  obeyed.  When  ques- 
tioned by  the  king  why  he  had  displayed  the  banner  of  revolt 
against  him,  he  said  he  had  done  so  on  the  urging  of  Hotspur ; 
and  the  king,  who  was  always  inclined  to  leniency  when  leni- 
ency was  safe,  pardoned  him,  and  permitted  him  to  retain  his 
dignity  and  estates. 

Oswald  speedily  recovered  from  his  wounds,  but  his  father 
suffered  much. 

"  I  have  fought  my  last  fight,  Oswald,"  he  said,  when  his 
son  rode  over  to  see  him  a  few  days  after  their  return  from  the 


SHREWSBURY  367 

south.  "  I  say  not  that  I  am  about  to  die,  but  only  that  me- 
thinks  I  shall  never  be  able  to  wield  sword  manfully  again.  I 
have  talked  the  matter  over  with  your  mother,  and  she  agrees 
with  me  that  it  were  well  that  I  handed  over  Yardhope  to  you. 
I  do  not  mean  that  I  should  leave  the  old  place  —  for  genera- 
tions my  fathers  have  lived  and  died  here,  and  I  would  fain  do 
the  same  —  but  that  I  should  hand  over  to  you  the  feu,  and 
you  should  take  oath  for  it  to  Northumberland  and  lead  its  re- 
tainers in  the  field.  Were  it  that  there  was  a  chance  of  another 
raid  by  the  Bairds,  I  would  still  maintain  my  hold  myself,  but 
their  power  was  altogether  broken  at  Homildon.  Moreover, 
the  border  Scots  and  we  are  at  peace  now  as  we  have  not  been 
so  long  as  memories  run,  seeing  that  we  have  fought  side  by 
side  against  the  King  of  England,  and  have  suffered  the  same 
misfortune  in  defeat ;  therefore  I  can  hang  up  my  sword. 

"  But  for  you  there  may  be  more  fighting.  From  what  I 
know  of  the  old  earl  I  am  sure  that  he  will  never  forgive  Hot- 
spur's death,  and  although  at  present  he  is  reinstated  in  his 
estates  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  king  will  strike  further 
blows  against  the  power  of  the  Percys.  Northumberland  is  a 
valiant  soldier,  tenacious  in  his  purposes,  and  lasting  in  his 
hatreds.  Had  it  not  been  that  he  was  utterly  broken  by  the 
news  that  we  brought  him  he  would  assuredly  have  marched 
down  with  his  army  and  tried  to  join  Glendower  and  Mortimer, 
and  at  least  have  died  fighting,  the  end  that  he  would  best 
like.  I  doubt  not  that  we  shall  see  his  banner  raised  again 
ere  long." 

"  I  hope  not,  father ;  the  undertaking  would  be  desperate." 
"  However  that  may  be,  Oswald,  as  I  can  no  longer  render 
service  for  the  feu,  I  wish  to  hand  it  over  to  you.  'T  is  but  a 
nominal  change,  but  I  should  like  to  see  the  estate  yours.  I 
and  my  fathers  have  held  our  own  and  were  content  to  do  so, 
adding  somewhat  lo  our  means  by  such  plunder  as  we  could 


3G8  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

carry  off  from  Scotland ;  but  you  have  greatly  advanced  the 
family,  and  as  a  deputy  warden  of  the  marches  it  is  as  well 
that  Yardhope  should  be  added  to  your  holding.  I  should  be 
glad  too  to  have  you  known  as  Sir  Oswald  Forster  of  Yard- 
hope,  and  not  as  Sir  Oswald  Forster  of  Stoubes,  and  in  time, 
if  things  go  well  with  you,  I  charge  you  to  build  a  castle  here 
in  place  of  this  hold,  which  has  been  good  enough  for  plain 
men  like  myself  and  my  father,  but  which  is  no  fit  residence 
for  the  estate  you  now  hold.  I  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  wish 
you  always  to  live  here,  for  maybe  Stoubes  is  a  more  pleasant 
abode,  standing  in  a  fair  country,  and  with  the  climate  some- 
what less  hard  than  this ;  but  I  should  like  you  to  come  up 
here  at  times  and  to  be  known  as  Forster  of  Yardhope." 

"  I  will  carry  out  your  wishes,  father,  but  it  would  please 
me  more  for  things  to  remain  as  they  have  been." 

"  My  plan  is  best,  lad.  I  shall  be  seneschal  here  for  you, 
and  little  will  be  changed  save  that  you  will  ride  at  the  head 
of  the  retainers  instead  of  myself.  'T  is  not  meet  that  I  should 
hold  the  feu  when  I  can  no  longer  render  due  service.  Your 
mother  is  wholly  of  opinion  that  I  have  done  enough  of  fight- 
ing for  my  life,  and  should  trouble  myself  no  longer  with 
raidings  and  wars.  Your  mother  has  shown  sound  judgment, 
and  her  advice  has  generally  been  good,  though  I  never  fully 
recognised  this  till  I  saw  what  great  good  had  come  of  her 
wishing  you  to  learn  to  read  and  write,  for  it  is  to  that  to  no 
small  extent  that  you  owe  your  rapid  rise  and  present  dignity." 

Accordingly  a  few  days  later  Oswald  rode  with  his  father  to 
Warkworth,  to  which  castle  the  earl  had  returned  after  his  visit 
to  England.  At  the  request  of  John  Forster  he  received  back 
the  feu  from  him,  and  appointed  his  son  to  it.  This  done 
Oswald  rode  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  cousins  while  his  father 
returned  to  Yardhope  with  two  retainers  he  had  brought  with 
him.     Oswald  had  not  seen  Adam  Armstrong  since  the  latter 


SHREWSBURY  369 

had  come  to  Yardhope  after  the  rescue  of  his  daughters,  and 
he  was  received  by  him  with  the  greatest  warmth,  as  also 
by  Allan,  who,  although  now  nearly  recovered  from  his 
wounds,  had,  fortunately  for  himself,  not  gained  sufficient 
strength  to  be  able  to  accompany  Douglas  either  to  Homildon 
or  in  his  march  into  England  to  join  Percy.  The  girls  were 
out  when  he  rode  up,  but  upon  their  return  both  showed  the 
greatest  pleasure,  Jessie  being  the  most  demonstrative  in  her 
welcome. 

"  It  has  always  been  a  sore  subject  with  me,  Oswald," 
Allan  said,  "  that  you  should  have  ridden  away  in  that  gallant 
enterprise  to  rescue  my  sisters,  while  I  was  lying  here  help- 
less, and  knew  indeed  nought  of  it  until  after  you  had  taken 
them  safely  to  Yardhope.  Ah  !  Roger,  I  am  glad  to  see  you 
again  and  to  thank  you  too  for  the  share  you  took  in  it." 

"  In  faith,  Master  Allan,  there  are  no  great  thanks  due ;  it 
was  but  a  poor  affair,  and  I  had  but  one  opportunity,  and 
that  not  worth  naming,  of  striking  a  hearty  blow.  It  seems  to 
me  that  these  things  are  never  fairly  divided.  Both  in  that 
adventure  and  at  Homildon  I  scarce  struck  a  blow,  while  in 
that  affair  in  Wales  and  at  Shrewsbury  there  was  even  more 
fighting  than  I  cared  for.  I  had  to  be  nursed  like  a  child  after 
the  first,  and  I  am  still  stiff  from  the  wounds  that  I  got  in  the 
second.  There  should  be  reason  in  such  matters.  It  vexed 
me  sorely  that  we  had  to  ride  away  from  the  Bairds  without 
striking  a  few  good  blows  in  part  payment  of  their  raid  here." 

"  I  am  very  glad  that  you  did  not  have  to  do  so,"  Janet  said. 
"  I  think  there  was  quite  enough  excitement  in  it,  and  espe- 
cially as  we  went  down  that  rope  ;  though  indeed  you  are  so 
strong  that  I  felt  that  I  was  quite  safe  with  you." 

Roger  laughed. 

"  I  could  have  carried  two  of  you  ;  and  sooth,  you  did  not 
show  your  confidence  at  the  time,  for  you  held  on  so  tightly  to 

24 


370  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

the  rope  that  I  began  to  think  that  we  should  never  get  to  the 
bottom." 

"  You  told  me  to  hold  tight,"  Janet  said  indignantly. 

"Yes,  yes,  that  was  natural  enough.  The  difficulty  was 
that  you  would  not  let  go,  and  at  each  knot  it  was  as 
much  as  I  could  do  to  get  you  to  let  it  slide  through  your 
fingers." 

"  Very  well,  Master  Roger.  Then  I  shall  take  care  not  to 
let  you  lower  me  down  a  rope  again." 

"  1  trust  there  will  never  be  the  need,"  Roger  laughed, 
"  but,  indeed,  although  your  weight  was  as  nothing,  I  felt  un- 
easy myself  as  we  went  down,  for  I  feared  that  I  might  grip 
you  too  tightly,  seeing  that  I  am  altogether  unaccustomed  to 
the  handling  of  girls." 

"  Well,  I  suppose,  Roger,"  Jessie  said,  "  that  now  the  wars 
are  over,  you  will  be  marrying  and  settling  down." 

"I  don't  know  how  that  might  be,"  Roger  replied  slowly. 
"  I  do  not  say  that  the  matter  has  never  entered  my  mind,  and, 
seeing  that  I  am  now  seven-and-thirty,  't  is  one  that  should 
not  be  much  longer  delayed.  I  mean  not  that  I  have  ever 
thought  as  to  who  should  be  the  woman,  but  I  have  thought 
whether,  when  the  time  comes  that  Sir  Oswald  takes  him  a 
wife,  it  would  not  be  well  that  I  should  do  the  same.  But  I 
know  not  how  I  stand.  The  abbot  of  Alnwick  has,  so  far, 
allowed  me  to  go  out  into  the  world,  to  unfrock  myself,  and 
to  become  a  man-at-arms  instead  of  a  peaceful  monk  ;  but  I 
have  not  been  dispensed  from  my  vows  of  celibacy,  and,  were 
I  to  marry,  the  matter  might  be  taken  up  by  the  Church,  and 
I  might  be  put  to  many  and  sore  penances  and  punishments 
for  the  breach  of  them." 

The  others  all  laughed  at  the  seriousness  with  which  Roger 
had  answered  the  girl's  jesting  remark. 

"  It  is  a  matter  that  I  have  never  thought  of  before,  Roger," 


SHREWSBURY  371 

Oswald  said ;  "  but  assuredly  it  would,  as  you  say,  be  fitting 
and  right  that  when  I  take  a  mistress  you  should  do  so  also  — 
like  master  like  man,  you  know.  Since  your  thoughts  have 
been  turned  that  way,  I  will  see  the  abbot  next  time  I  go  to 
Alnwick,  and  lay  the  case  before  him.  Of  a  truth  you  have 
made  a  most  excellent  man-at-arms,  and  't  is  equally  certain 
that  you  were  an  exceedingly  bad  monk.  It  would  doubtless 
be  well  that  you  should  obtain  a  complete  absolution  from 
your  vows,  for  although  I  am  sure  that  the  good  abbot  regards 
you  now  as  altogether  beyond  his  control,  and  would  take  no 
steps  against  you  were  he  to  hear  of  your  marriage,  it  might 
not  be  so  in  the  case  of  his  successor.  He  is  an  old  man,  and 
the  next  abbot  may  be  of  a  very  different  character,  and  look- 
ing through  the  books  of  the  convent  he  might  say,  '  What  has 
become  of  Brother  Roger?  I  see  no  record  of  his  death.' 
Then,  pushing  matters  further,  he  might  discover  your  backslid- 
ing, and  might  summon  you  before  him,  and  there  is  no  saying 
what  pains  and  penalties  he  might  inflict  upon  you." 

Roger  moved  uneasily  in  his  seat.  "  Do  not  speak  of  such 
a  thing,  I  pray  you,  master — imprisonment  in  a  cell,  flagel- 
lation, nay,  even  worse  might  befall  me  at  the  hands  of  a 
rigorous  abbot ;  for  in  truth  nought  could  well  be  more  serious 
than  the  offences  that  I  have  already  committed,  and  he  might 
hold  that  even  though  the  present  abbot  had  been  backward 
in  taking  notice  of  the  matter,  this  in  no  way  would  absolve 
him  from  doing  his  duty.  And  indeed,  as  it  is,  it  was  to 
Hotspur  that  he  gave  permission  for  me  to  go  out  into  the 
world.  Hotspur  is  dead,  and  there  is  nought  but  my  own 
word  in  the  matter." 

"That,  at  any  rate,  I  can  put  right,  Roger,  by  going  myself 
to  the  abbot  and  learning  from  his  lips  that  he  did  give  that 
permission  to  Hotspur  ;  moreover,  I  received  it  from  Hotspur's 
own  lips.     Still,  it  would  be  useful  for  me  to  obtain  from  the 


372  BOTH    SIDES    THE    BORDER 

abbot  a  letter  giving  full  absolution  for  all  offences  committed 
up  to  the  present  time." 

"  That  would  be  a  great  thing,"  Roger  said  eagerly.  "  *T  is 
i  matter  that  I  have  often  turned  over  in  my  mind  when  on  a 
long  day's  ride,  and  I  have  thought  of  what  might  happen  were 
a  new  man  to  become  abbot  of  Alnwick;  but  such  an  absolu- 
tion would  assuredly  go  fur  much.  No  one  can  doubt,  more 
especially  an  abbot,  that  absolution  by  an  abbot  is  most  effec- 
tual, and  that  the  offences  committed  before  it  are  wholly 
wiped  out  and  cannot  be  revived." 

"It  would  be  best  to  obtain  total  absolution  from  your  vows. 
Can  the  abbot  grant  that,  Roger?" 

"  'T  is  a  moot  question,"  Roger  replied.  "  Many  affirm  that 
he  can  do  so,  and  assuredly  many  abbots  have  exercised  that 
power;  others  again  hold  that,  although  abbots  cannot  law- 
fully do  so,  bishops  can ;  while  a  few  maintain  that  even  these 
are  incapable,  and  that  nothing  short  of  the  absolution  by  the 
Holy  Father  himself  is  of  avail.  Still,  whatever  be  the  true 
state  of  things,  I  should  be  well  satisfied  with  an  abbot's  abso- 
lution, and  still  more  so  by  a  bishop's ;  for  though,  were  a  great 
prince  concerned,  someone  interested  might  contest  the  mat- 
ter, none  would  be  likely  to  do  so  in  the  case  of  a  man-at- 
arms  or  an  esquire." 

"  Very  well,  Roger.  Then  I  will  endeavour  to  obtain  a  full 
absolution  from  your  vows  by  the  abbot,  and  should  he  decline 
to  give  them  I  will,  when  I  next  see  the  earl,  pray  him,  in 
consideration  of  the  good  services  that  you  have  rendered,  to 
obtain  it  for  you  from  the  bishop." 

"  And  you  have  not  yourself  thought  of  marrying,  Oswald?  " 
Adam  Armstrong  said. 

"  Nay,  uncle.  I  came  of  age  but  a  few  days  since,  and  it 
will  be  time  to  think  of  taking  me  a  wife  four  or  five  years 
hence.     So  until   these   troubles  have  wholly  ceased  it  were 


"DO    MM     SPEAK    OF    SUCH    A    THING,    I    PRAY    YOU,    MASTER." 


SHREWSBURY  373 

better,  methinks,  for  a  knight  to  remain  unwed  than  to  take  a 
wife  with  the  risk  of  leaving  her  a  young  widow." 

"  In  that  case,  Oswald,  methinks  there  would  be  little  marry- 
ing in  Northumberland  ;  for,  saving  short  truces,  and  these  but 
ill  observed,  there  is  ever  trouble  on  the  border." 

"  I  speak  not  of  that,"  Oswald  replied.  "  Doubtless  we 
shall  always  be  subject  to  border  raids  on  both  sides,  and  even 
to  serious  wars  between  the  two  countries  ;  but  I  speak  not  of 
that,  but  of  troubles  in  England.  'T  is  natural  to  fight  when 
Englishmen  and  Scotchmen  meet  arrayed  in  battle,  but  when 
Englishmen  meet  Englishmen  't  is  terrible  indeed  ;  and  though 
the  slaughter  at  Shrewsbury  was  great  beyond  measure,  who 
yet  can  say  that  the  fire  is  extinguished  ?  As  long  as  one  may 
be  called  to  arms  again  by  the  earl,  it  is  in  good  sooth  better 
to  remain  single  than  to  have  to  ride  to  the  wars,  leaving  the 
young  wife  behind." 

"  Spoken  very  wisely  and  well,  Oswald,"  Adam  Armstrong 
laughed.  "'Tis  well  to  argue  as  to  policy;  but  such  argu- 
ments go  for  nought  as  soon  as  a  man's  heart  is  fixed  on  any 
particular  woman." 

"  It  may  be  so,  uncle ;  but  as  I  have  never  thought  of  mar- 
riage, I  am  able  to  look  at  the  matter  dispassionately." 

"  Ah  !  well,  the  time  will  come,  Oswald,  and  you  will  then 
speedily  come  to  consider  that  there  are  other  things  than  the 
reasonableness  of  waiting  to  be  considered.  By  the  way,  I 
trust  that  should  England  invade  Scotland  again  by  the  valley 
of  the  Esk,  you  will  not  forget  our  debt  to  the  Bairds. 
Though  I  lamented  the  disaster  at  Homildon,  where  many  of 
my  friends  and  acquaintances  fell,  I  could  not  but  feel  that  the 
death  of  William  Baird  and  so  many  of  his  kin  was  a  relief 
indeed  to  me.  I  have  strengthened  my  hold,  as  you  see,  but 
T  should  have  been  ever  obliged  to  remain  on  guard.  The 
Bairds  never  forgive  nor  forget,  and  the  manner  in  which  they 


374  BOTH   SIDES   THE    BORDER 

were  tricked  out  of  their  captives  must  have  discomposed 
them  sorely  and  rankled  in  their  minds,  and  sooner  or  later 
they  would  have  tried  to  wipe  out  the  memory  in  blood.  I 
wonder  that  they  had  not  done  it  before  Homildon,  but  doubt- 
less they  had  other  matters  in  hand.  Now  I  can  live  in  peace ; 
but  I  too  have  not  forgotten  the  injuries  I  have  suffered  at 
their  hands,  and  should  rejoice  greatly  did  I  hear  that  their 
stronghold  had  been  levelled  to  the  ground." 

"  I  hope  that  it  will  be  long  before  our  kings  march  against 
Scotland  again.  The  ill  success  of  all  our  efforts  should  have 
taught  them  that,  do  what  they  will,  they  will  never  conquer 
Scotland,  and  Henry  is  not  likely  to  court  another  failure  such 
as  he  met  with  two  years  since.  'T  is  not  like  the  wars  with 
the  Welsh ;  they  are  a  different  people,  speaking  in  a  different 
language,  while  we  and  the  lowland  Scots  are  of  one  blood 
and  one  language  —  scarce  a  noble  in  Scotland  who  is  not  of 
Norman  descent  —  and  a  quarrel  between  us  seems  to  me 
almost  as  bad  as  a  civil  war." 

"  I  hope  that  all  will  come  to  think  so  some  day,  Oswald ; 
but  as  long  as  the  two  kingdoms  stand  apart,  with  various 
interests  and  different  alliances,  it  will  hardly  be  likely  that 
there  will  be  a  permanent  peace  between  them." 

"That  is  so,"  Oswald  agreed.  "  'Tis  the  part  that  Scotland 
plays  by  her  alliance  with  France,  and  the  aid  she  gives  her 
by  always  choosing  the  time  when  we  are  fighting  there  to 
fall  upon  us,  that  keeps  the  trouble  afoot.  If  Scotland  would 
hold  herself  aloof  from  France,  I  see  no  reason  why  we  should 
interfere  with  her  in  any  way." 

"  No  good  has  ever  come  to  us  from  such  alliance  ;  no  French 
army  has  ever  gone  to  Scotland  to  aid  her  when  pressed  by 
Englishmen.  France  uses  Scotland  but  as  a  cat's-paw  with 
which  to  annoy  and  weaken  England." 

"That  may  be  so;   but  you  must  remember  that  France 


SHREWSBURY  375 

does  aid  Scotland  when  she  keeps  the  main  army  of  England 
busily  occupied." 

"Yes;  but  she  does  not  fight  England  with  that  intent. 
She  simply  fights  to  gain  back  the  provinces  she  has  lost,  and 
is  ready  to  make  peace  when  it  suits,  wholly  regardless  of  the 
interest  of  Scotland." 

"  France  is  never  to  be  trusted,"  Oswald  said.  "  Glendower 
made  a  treaty  with  her  a  few  years  ago,  and  what  good  has 
it  done  to  him?  Why,  when  he  needed  her  aid  the  most  she 
had  made  a  truce  with  England.  Tis  whispered  that  she 
made  a  treaty  with  the  Percys,  and  what  good  came  of  it? 
She  is  ever  ready  to  make  treaties,  but  never  observes  them 
unless  it  is  to  her  plain  interest  to  do  so." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  with  nations  as  it  is  with  individuals, 
Oswald,  selfishness  has  a  large  share  in  the  management  of 
affairs.  France,  being  a  powerful  country,  is  glad  enough, 
when  pressed  by  the  English,  to  have  diversions  made  for  her, 
whether  in  Scotland  or  Ireland,  but  she  has  no  idea  of  putting 
herself  out  for  the  sake  of  her  allies  when  she  desires  peace 
with  England." 

France  had  indeed  been  quick  to  take  advantage  of  the 
trouble  caused  to  Henry  by  the  rising  in  the  north.  While 
he  was  gathering  his  army,  although  there  was  a  truce  with 
England,  a  French  expedition,  in  which  many  of  the  royal 
princes  took  part,  had  invaded  Guienne,  captured  several 
castles  held  by  the  English  adherents,  made  frequent  descents 
on  our  coast,  plundered  every  ship  they  met  with,  captured 
a  whole  fleet  of  merchantmen,  taken  the  islands  of  Guernsey 
and  Jersey,  and,  while  Henry  was  fighting  at  Shrewsbury, 
landed  near  Plymouth  and  plundered  the  whole  country 
round.  On  the  news  reaching  them  of  the  result  of  the 
battle  of  Shrewsbury,  they  at  once  burned  Plymouth  to  the 
ground,  and  then,  re-embarking,  sailed  for  France.     All  re- 


376  BOTH   SIDES  THE    BORDER 

monstrances  on  the  part  of  Henry  were  met  by  declarations 
that  these  raids  were  carried  on  without  the  knowledge  of 
the  French  king,  and  were  greatly  against  his  inclinations, 
which  were  wholly  for  the  strictest  observance  of  the  truce. 
Nevertheless,  a  few  months  later  the  Count  of  St.  Pol  landed 
a  force  in  the  Isle  of  Wight ;  but  the  people  of  the  island  rose 
in  arms  and  defeated  the  invaders,  who  sailed  hastily  away. 

Although,  having  other  matters  in  hand,  Henry  professed 
to  believe  the  French  king's  assurances,  the  sailors  and  ship- 
masters were  in  no  way  content  to  suffer  unresistingly,  and 
the  men  of  the  seaports  of  the  east  coast,  and  of  Plymouth  and 
Fowey,  banded  themselves  together  and  carried  on  war  on 
their  own  account,  capturing  several  fleets  of  ships  loaded 
with  wine  and  other  valuable  commodities,  burning  the  coast 
towns,  and  making  several  raids  into  the  interior  of  France 
and  carrying  off  much  plunder.  Enraged  at  this  retaliation, 
the  French  incited  the  Flemings,  Dutch,  and  Hollanders  to 
cruise  against  the  English,  and  these,  sailing  in  great  ships, 
executed  so  many  atrocities  upon  English  crews  and  ships 
that,  later,  Henry  himself  sent  out  a  fleet  under  his  second 
son,  who  executed  his  commission,  effectually  destroying 
ships,  burning  towns,  and  putting  the  people  to  the  sword 
without  mercy. 

Thus  the  breaches  of  the  peace  by  the  French  recoiled 
terribly  upon  themselves,  and  they  suffered  vastly  greater  loss 
than  they  had  inflicted  upon  the  English. 

From  the  time  when  he  let  slip  the  opportunities  both  of 
joining  Hotspur  and  of  falling  on  the  royal  army  after  their 
victory,  Glendower's  power  declined.  For  a  time  he  con- 
tinued to  capture  castles  and  to  carry  out  raids  across  the 
border,  but  gradually  he  was  driven  back  to  his  mountain 
strongholds.  His  followers  lost  heart,  he  became  a  fugitive, 
and  died  on  the  20th  of  September,  1415,  in  the  sixty-first 


SHREWSBURY  377 

year  of  his  age,  at  the  house  of  one  of  his  married  daughters, 
whether  at  Scudamore  or  Mornington  is  unknown. 

Mortimer  died  in  Harlech  Castle  during  the  time  it  was 
besieged  by  the  English.  It  is  said  that  his  death  was  caused 
by  depression  and  grief  at  the  misfortunes  that  had  befallen 
him.  The  Earl  of  Northumberland,  as  John  Forster  had 
anticipated,  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  in  1405,  in  concert 
with  the  Archbishop  of  York  and  some  other  nobles;  but 
before  he  could  join  these  with  his  forces  they  had  been  forced 
to  surrender  to  the  king,  who  had  marched  north  with  a  great 
army.  The  archbishop  and  some  of  his  associates  were  exe- 
cuted, and  the  earl,  finding  himself  unable  to  oppose  so  great  a 
force,  fled  into  Scotland.  Alnwick  surrendered  without  resis- 
tance, and  Warkworth  after  a  siege  of  eight  days.  Berwick 
was  captured,  and  its  governor  and  several  knights  executed 

Escaping  from  Scotland,  where  he  feared  that  he  might  be 
seized  and  surrendered  to  England,  the  earl  sailed  to  Wales, 
and  for  some  little  time  stayed  with  Glendower;  then  he 
crossed  to  the  Continent,  and  in  1408  landed  in  Yorkshire 
and  again  raised  his  standard.  The  sheriff  of  the  county 
called  out  the  levies  and  attacked  him  at  Branham  Moor, 
where  the  old  earl  was  killed  and  his  followers  defeated.  In 
14 15,  the  king,  being  on  the  eve  of  war  with  France,  and 
anxious  to  obtain  the  good-will  and  support  of  the  Northum- 
brians, restored  Hotspur's  son,  who  had  been  for  years  a  fugi- 
tive in  Scotland,  to  the  estates  and  honours  of  his  father  and 
grandfather. 

Fortunate  it  was  for  Oswald  that  the  capture  of  his  fellow- 
conspirators  caused  the  earl  to  retreat,  in  1405,  without  giving 
battle.  The  young  knight  had,  at  his  summons,  called  out 
his  tenants,  and  with  them  and  his  retainers  had  joined  Percy. 
As  soon  as  the  latter  decided  to  fly  to  Scotland,  his  force 
scattered,  and  Oswald  returned  home  with  his  following.     He 


378  BOTH   SIDES   THE   BORDER 

took  no  part  in  the  final  rising.  Before  this  took  place  he  had 
married  his  cousin  Janet.  His  father  lived  to  be  present  at 
the  wedding,  but  died  the  following  year ;  and,  in  accordance 
with  his  wishes,  Oswald  took  up  his  abode  at  Yardhope,  which 
he  largely  added  to  and  strongly  fortified.  Here  his  mother 
lived  with  him  until  her  death  ten  years  later.  Oswald  offered 
to  Roger  the  command  of  his  castle  at  Stoubes,  but  the  burly 
squire  preferred  staying  at  Yardhope  with  his  master.  He 
himself  had  taken  a  wife,  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  principal 
tenants  on  the  estate,  on  the  same  day  that  Oswald  married 
Janet.  His  uncle,  after  the  surrender  of  Alnwick,  lived  at 
Yardhope  until,  at  the  return  of  Hotspur's  son  as  Earl  of 
Northumberland,  he  resumed  his  old  position  as  captain  of 
the  garrison,  and  maintained  it  until  his  death. 


THE  END 


"Wherever  English  is  spoken  one  imagines  that  Mr.  Henty's 
name  is  known.  One  cannot  enter  a  schoolroom  or  look  at  a 
boy's  bookshelf  without  seeing  half-a-dozen  of  his  familiar 
volumes.  Mr.  Henty  is  no  doubt  the  most  successful  writer 
for  boys,  and  the  one  to  whose  new  volumes  they  look  forward 
every  Christmas  with  most  pleasure." — Review  of  Reviews. 


»■ 


A   LIST   OF   BOOKS 
FOR  YOUNG   PEOPLE 

By 

G,  A.  HENTY, 

KIRK  MUNROE,  JAMES   WHITCOMB  RILEY. 
ERNEST  THOMPSON  SETON,  and  Others 


Published  by 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

J  53  to  157  Fifth  Avenue 
New  York 


Other  Volumes  of  the 
Henty  Books 

Uniform  with  This  Popular  Edition 


IN    FREEDOM'S    CAUSE 

WITH  LEE  IN 

VIRGINIA 

WITH  WOLFE    IN 

CANADA 

THE  LION  OF  ST.  MARK 

IN  THE  REIGN  OF 

TERROR 

NO  SURRENDER 

UNDER  WELLING- 
TON'S COMMAND 

WITH  FREDERICK 

THE  GREAT 

AT  ABOUKIR  AND 

ACRE 

BOTH  SIDES  THE 

BORDER 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

WITH  MOORE  AT 

CORUNNA 

AT  AGINCOURT 

COCHRANE  THE 

DAUNTLESS 

ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 


THROUGH    RUSSIAN 

SNOWS 

A  KNIGHT   OF  THE 

WHITE  CROSS 

THE  TIGER   OF 

MYSORE 

IN  THE  HEART  OF 

THE   ROCKIES 

WHEN  LONDON 

BURNED 

WULF  THE  SAXON 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S 
EVE 

THROUGH  THE   SIKH 
WAR 

A  JACOBITE  EXILE 

CONDEMNED   AS   A 

NIHILIST 

BERIC  THE  BRITON 

IN  GREEK  WATERS 

THE  DASH    FOR 

KHARTOUM 

REDSKIN  AND  COW- 
BOY 

HELD  FAST  FOR 

ENGLAND 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE 


By  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Among  -miters  of  stories  of  adventures  for  boys  Mr.  Henty  stands 
in  the  very  first  rank." — Academy  (London). 


THE    TREASURE    OF    THE    INCAS 

A  Tale  of  Adventure  in  Peru.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations 
by  WaIi  Paget,  and  Map.     §1.20  net. 

Peru  and  the  hidden  treasures  of  her  ancient  kings  offer  Mr.  Henty  a 
most  fertile  field  for  a  stirring  story  of  adventure  in  his  most  engaging 
style.  In  an  effort  to  win  the  girl  of  his  heart,  the  hero  penetrates  into 
the  wilds  of  the  land  of  the  Incas.  Boys  who  have  learned  to  look  for 
Mr.  Henty's  books  will  follow  his  new  hero  in  his  adventurous  and 
romantic  expedition  with  absorbing  interest.  It  is  one  of  the  most  cap- 
tivating tales  Mr.  Henty  has  yet  written. 

WITH   KITCHENER   IN   THE   SOUDAN 

A  Story  of  Atbara  and  Omdurman.     With  10  full-page  Illus- 
trations.    §1.20  net. 

Mr.  Henty  has  never  combined  history  and  thrilling  adventure  more 
skillfully  than  in  this  extremely  interesting  story.  It  is  not  in  boy  nat- 
ure to  la}'  it  aside  unfinished,  once  begun ;  and  finished,  the  reader  finds 
himself  in  possession,  not  only  of  the  facts  and  the  true  atmosphere  of 
Kitchener's  famous  Soudan  campaign,  but  of  the  Gordon  tragedy  which 
preceded  it  by  so  many  years  and  of  which  it  was  the  outcome. 

WITH  THE   BRITISH   LEGION 

A  Story  of  the  Carlist  Uprising  of  1836.     Illustrated.     §1.20 
net. 

Arthur  Hallet,  a  young  English  boy,  finds  himself  in  difficulty  at 
home,  through  certain  harmless  school  escapades,  and  enlists  in  the 
famous  "  British  Legion,"  which  was  then  embarking  for  Spain  to  take 
part  in  the  campaign  to  repress  the  Carlist  uprising  of  1S3G.  Arthur 
shows  his  mettle  in  the  first  fight,  distinguishes  himself  by  daring  work 
in  carrying  an  important  dispatch  to  Madrid,  makes  a  dashing  and 
thrilling  rescue  of  the  sister  of  his  patron,  and  is  rapidly  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  captain.  In  following  the  adventures  of  the  hero  the  reader  ob- 
tains, as  is  usual  with  Mr.  Henty's  stories,  a  most  accurate  and  interest- 
ing history  of  a  picturesque  campaign. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


STORIES    BY    G.    A.    HENTY 

"His  books  have  at  once  the  solidity  of  history  and  the  charm  of 
romance.  ''''-Journal  of  Education. 


TO   HERAT   AND    CABUL 

A  Story  of  the  First  Afghan  War.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With 
Illustrations.      12mo,  $1.20  net. 

The  greatest  defeat  ever  experienced  by  the  British  Army  was  that 
in  the  Mountain  Passes  of  Afghanistan.  Angus  Cameron,  the  hero  of 
this  hook,  having  been  captured  by  the  friendly  Afghans,  was  com- 
pelled to  be  a  witness  of  the  calamity.  His  whole  story  is  an  intensely 
interesting  one,  from  his  boyhood  in  Persia;  his  employment  underthe 
Government  at  Herat;  through  the  defense  of  that  town  against  the 
Persians;  to  Cabul,  where  he  shared  in  all  the  events  which  ended  in 
the  awful  march  through  the  Passes  from  which  but  one  man  escaped. 
Angus  is  always  at  the  point  of  danger,  and  whether  in  battle  or  in 
hazardous  expeditions  shows  how  much  a  brave  youth,  full  of 
resources,  can  do,  even  with  so  treacherous  a  foe.  His  dangers  and 
adventures  are  thrilling,   and  his  escapes  marvellous. 

WITH  ROBERTS  TO  PRETORIA 

A  Tale  of  the  South  African  War.     By  G.  A  Kenty.     With  12 
Illustrations.     $1.20  net. 

The  Boer  War  gives  Mr.  Henty  an  unexcelled  opportunity  for  a 
thrilling  story  of  present-day  interest  which  the  author  could  not  fail  to 
take  advantage  of.  Every  boy  reader  will  find  this  account  of  the  ad- 
ventures of  the  young  hero  most  exciting,  and,  at  the  same  time  a 
wonderfully  accurate  description  of  Lord  Roberts's  campaign  to  Preto- 
ria. Boys  have  found  history  in  the  dress  Mr.  Henty  gives  it  anything 
but  dull,  and  the  present  book  is  no  exception  to  the  rule. 

AT  THE  POINT  OF  THE  BAYONET 

A  Tale  of  the  Mahratta  War.    By  G.  A.  Henty.     Illustrated. 
12mo,  $1.20  net. 

One  hundred  years  ago  the  rule  of  the  British  in  India  was  only  partly 
established.  The  powerful  Mahrattas  were  unsubdued,  and  with  their 
skill  in  intrigue,  and  great  military  power,  they  were  exceedingly  dan- 
gerous. The  6tory  of  "At  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet"  begins  with 
the  attempt  to  conquer  this  powerful  people.  Harry  Lindsay,  an 
infant  when  bis  father  and  mother  were  killed,  was  saved  by  his 
Mahratta  ayah,  who  carried  him  to  her  own  people  and  brought  him 
rip  as  a  native.  She  taught  him  as  best  she  could,  and,  having  told  him 
hi6  parentage,  sent  him  to  Bombay  to  be  educated.  At  sixteen  he  ob- 
tained a  commission  in  the  English  Army,  and  his  knowledge  of  the 
Mahratta  tongue  combined  with  his  ability  and  bravery  enabled  him  to 
render  great  service  in  the  Mahratta  War,  and  carried  him,  through 
many  frightful  perils  by  land  and  sea,  to  high  rank. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Mr.   Henty  might  with   entire   propriety  be  called  the  boys' Sir 
Walter  Scott  " — Philadelphia  Press. 


IN   THE    IRISH    BRIGADE 

A  Tale  of  "War  in  Flanders  and  Spain.    With  12  Illustrations  by 
Charles  M.  Sheldon.     12rno,  $1.50. 

Desmond  Kennedy  is  a  young  Irish  lad  who  left  Ireland  to  join  the 
Irish  Brigade  in  the  service  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France.  In  Paris  he  in- 
curred the  deadly  hatred  of  a  powerful  courtier  from  whom  he  had 
rescued  a  young  girl  who  had  been  kidnapped,  aDd  his  perils  are  of  ab- 
sorbing interest.  Captured  in  an  attempted  Jacobite  invasion  of  Scot- 
land, he  escaped  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner.  As  aid-de-camp 
to  the  Duke  of  Berwick  he  experienced  thrilling  adventures  in  Flan- 
ders. Transferred  to  the  Army  in  Spain,  he  was  nearly  assassinated, but 
escaped  to  return,  when  peace  was  declared,  to  his  native  land,  having 
received  pardon  and  having  recovered  his  estates.  The  story  is  filled 
with  adventure,  and  the  interest  never  abates. 

OUT    WITH    GARIBALDI 

A   Story  of  the  Liberation  of  Italy.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With 
8  Illustrations  by  W.  Raeney,  R.I.     12mo,  $1.50. 

Garibaldi  himself  is  the  central  figure  of  this  brilliant  story,  and  the 
little-known  history  of  the  struggle  for  Italian  freedom  is  told  here  in 
the  most  thrilling  way.  From  the  time  the  hero,  a  young  lad,  son  of 
an  English  father  and  an  Italian  mother,  joins  Garibaldi's  band  of 
1,000  men  in  the  first  descent  upon  Sicily,  which  was  garrisoned  by  one 
of  the  large  Neapolitan  armies,  until  the  end,  when  all  those  armies 
are  beaten,  and  the  two  Sicilys  are  conquered,  we  follow  with  the 
keenest  interest  the  exciting  adventures  of  the  lad  in  6couting,  in 
battle,  and  iu  freeing  those  in  prison  for  liberty's  sake. 

WITH    BULLER   IN   NATAL 

Or,   A  Born  Leader.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  10  Illustrations 
by  W.  RArNEY.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Boer  War  compelled  Chris  King,  the  hero 
of  the  story,  to  flee  with  his  mother  from  Johannesburg  to  the  sea 
coast.  They  were  with  many  other  Uitlanders,  and  all  suffered  much 
from  the  Boers.  Reaching  a  place  of  safety  for  their  families,  Chris 
and  twenty  of  his  friends  formed  an  independent  company  of  scouts.  In 
this  service  they  were  with  Gen.  Yule  at  Glencoe,  then  in  Ladvsmith, 
then  with  Buller.  In  each  place  they  had  many  thrilling  adventures. 
They  were  in  great  battles  and  in  lonely  rights  on  the  Veldt ;  were 
taken  prisoners  and  escaped;  and  they  rendered  most  valuable  service 
to  the  English  forces.  The  story  is  a  most  interesting  picture  of  the 
War  iu  South  Africa, 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG    FEOTLE 


BY  G.  A.   HENTY 

"  Surely  Mr.  Henty  should  understand  boys'  tastes  better  than  any 
man  living." — The  Times. 


WON    BY   THE    SWORD 

A  Tale  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by 
Charles  M.  Sheldon,  and  four  Plans.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  iaid  in  France,  during  the  time  of  Richelieu, 
of  Mazarin  and  Anne  of  Austria.  The  hero,  Hector  Campbell,  is  the 
orphaned  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  the  French  Army.  How  he  at- 
tracted the  notice  of  Marshal  Turenne  and  of  the  Prince  of  Conde ; 
how  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel ;  how  he  finally  had  to  leave  France, 
pursued  by  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  Due  de  Beaufort — all  these  and 
much  more  the  story  tells  with  the  most  absorbing  interest. 

A   ROVING   COMMISSION 

Or,  Through  the  Black  Insurrection  at  Hayti.     With  12  Illus- 
trations by  William  Rainey.     12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  Mr.  Henty's  books.  A  story  of 
the  sea,  with  all  its  life  and  action,  it  is  also  full  of  thrilling  adven- 
tures on  land.  So  it  holds  the  keenest  interest  until  the  end.  The 
scene  is  a  new  one  to  Mr.  Henty's  readers,  being  laid  at  the  time  of  the 
Great  Revolt  of  the  Blacks,  by  which  Hayti  became  independent. 
Toussaint  l'Overture  appears,  and  an  admirable  picture  is  given  of  him 
and  of  his  power. 

NO   SURRENDER 

The    Story  of  the  Revolt  in  La  Vendee.     With  8  Illustrations 
by  Stanley  L.  Wood.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  revolt  of  La  Vendue  against  the  French  Republic  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  forms  the  groundwork  of  this  absorbing  story.  Leigh. 
Stansfield,  a  young  English  lad,  is  drawn  into  the  thickest  of  the  con- 
flict. Forming  a  company  of  boys  as  scouts  for  the  Vendean  Army, 
he  greatly  aids  the  peasants.  He  rescues  his  sister  from  the  guillotine, 
and  finally,  after  many  thrilling  experiences,  when  the  cause  of  La 
Vendee  is  lost,  he  escapes  to  England. 

UNDER  WELLINGTON'S  COMMAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Peninsular  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by  Wax, 

Paget.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  dashing  hero  of  this  book,  Terence  O'Connor,  was  the  hero  of 
Mr.  Henty's  previous  book,  "  With  Moore  at  Corunna,"  to  which  this 
is  really  a  sequel.  He  is  still  at  the  head  of  the  "  Minho  "  Portuguese 
regiment.  Being  detached  on  independent  and  guerilla  duty  with  his 
regiment,  he  renders  invaluable  service  iu  gaining  information  and  in 
harassing  the  French.  His  command,  being  constantly  on  the  edge  of 
the  army,  is  engaged  in  frequent  skirmishes  and  some  most  important 
battles. 


BOOKS   FOR     YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

u  Mr.  Henty  is  the  king  of  story-tellers  for  boys." — Sword  and  TroweL 


AT  ABOUKIR  AND  ACRE 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Invasion  of  Egypt.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  William  Rainey,  and  3  Plans.  12mo, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  saved  the  life  of  the  son  of  an  Arab  chief,  is  taken 
Into  the  tribe,  has  a  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids  and  the  revolt 
at  Cairo.  He  is  an  eye-witness  of  the  famous  naval  battle  of  Aboukir, 
and  later  is  in  the  hardest  of  the  defense  of  Acre. 

BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER     ^ 

A  Tale  of  Hotspur  and  Glendower.  With  13  full-page  Illu>- 
trations  by  Ralph  Peacock.     12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  a  brilliant  story  of  the  stirring  times  of  the  beginning  of  the 
"Wars  of  the  Roses,  when  the  Scotch,  under  Douglas,  and  the  Welsh, 
under  Owen  Glendower,  were  attacking  the  English.  The  hero  of  the 
book  lived  near  the  Scotch  border,  and  saw  many  a  hard  fight  there. 
Entering  the  service  of  Lord  Percy,  he  was  6ent  to  Wales,  where  he 
was  knighted,  and  where  he  was  captured.  Being  released,  he  returned 
home,  and  shared  in  the  fatal  battle  of  Shrewsbury. 


WITH  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT 

A  Tale  of  the  Seven  Years'  War.     With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  while  still  a  youth  entered  the  service  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  and  by  a  succession  of  fortunate  circumstances 
and  perilous  adventures,  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  Attached  to  the 
stall  of  the  king,  he  rendered  distinguished  services  in  many  battles,  in 
one  of  which  he  saved  the  king's  life.  Twice  captured  and  imprisoned, 
he  both  times  escaped  from  the  Austrian  fortresses. 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

A  Story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rising.     With  8   full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  W.  II.  Margetson.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rebellion  is  but  little  known,  but  the  hero 
of  this  story  passes  through  that  perilous  time  and  takes  part  in  the 
civil  war  in  Flanders  which  followed  soon  after.  Although  young  he 
is  thrown  into  many  exciting  and  dangerous  adventures,  through  which 
he  passes  with  great  coolness  and  much  credit. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  No  country  nor  epoch  of  history  is  there  which  Mr.  Henty  does  not 
know,  and  what  is  really  remarkable  is  that  he  always  writes  well  and 
interestingly." — New  York  Times. 


WITH  MOORE  AT  CORUNNA 

A  Story  of  the  Peninsular  War.  With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  Wal  Paget.     12mo,  $1.50. 

Terence  O'Connor  i3  living  with  his  widowed  father,  Captain  O'Con- 
nor of  the  Mayo  Fusiliers,  with  the  regiment  at  the  time  when  the 
Peninsular  war  began.  Upon  the  regiment  being  ordered  to  Spain, 
Terence  gets  appointed  as  aid  to  one  of  the  generals  of  a  division.  By 
his  bravery  and  great  usefulness  throughout  the  war,  he  is  rewarded 
by  a  commission  as  colonel  in  the  Portuguese  army  and  there  rendered 
great  service. 

AT  AGINCOURT 

A  Tale  of  the  White  Hoods  of  Paris.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  Walter  Paget.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  begins  in  a  grim  feudal  castle  in  Normandie.  The  times 
were  troublous,  and  soon  the  king  compelled  Lady  Margaret  de  Villeroy 
with  her  children  to  go  to  Paris  as  hostages.  Guy  Ayimer  went  with 
her.  Paris  was  turbulent.  Soon  the  guild  of  the  butchers,  adopting 
white  hoods  as  their  uniform,  seized  the  city,  and  besieged  the  house 
where  our  hero  and  his  charges  lived.  After  desperate  fighting,  the 
white  hoods  were  beaten  and  our  hero  and  his  charges  escaped  from 
the  city,  and  from  France. 

WITH  COCHRANE  THE  DAUNTLESS 

A  Tale  of  the  Exploits  of  Lord  Cochrane  in  South  American 
Waters.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  EL 
Margetson.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  accompanies  Cochrane  as  midshipman,  and 
serves  in  the  war  between  Chili  and  Peru.  He  has  many  exciting 
adventures  in  battles  by  sea  and  land,  is  taken  prisoner  and  condemned 
to  death  by  the  Inquisition,  but  escapes  by  a  long  and  thrilling  flight 
across  South  America  and  down  the  Amazon. 

ON  THE  IRRAWADDY    V 

A  Story  of  the  First  Burmese  War.  With  8  full  page  Illus- 
trations by  W.  H.  Overend.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  an  uncle,  a  trader  on  the  Indian  and  Burmese 
rivers,  goes  out  to  join  him.  Soon  after,  war  is  declared  by  Burmah 
against  England  and  he  is  drawn  into  it.  He  has  many  experiences 
and  narrow  escapes  in  battles  and  in  scouting.  With  half-a-dozen 
men  he  rescues  his  cousin  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  and  in  the 
flight  they  are  besieged  in  an  old,  ruined  temple. 


BOOKS  FOR    TO  UNO   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Boys  like  stirring  adventures,  and  Mr.  Henty  is  a  master  of  this 
method  of  composition." — New  York  Times. 


THROUGH   RUSSIAN   SNOWS 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Retreat  from  Moscow.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  W.  H.  Overend  and  3  Maps.     Crown 

8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Julian  Wyatt,  after  several  adventures  with  smugglers,  by 
whom  he  is  handed  over  a  prisoner  to  the  French,  regains  his  freedom 
and  joins  Napoleon's  army  in  the  Russian  campaign.  When  the  terrible 
retreat  begins,  Julian  finds  himself  in  the  rearguard  of  the  French  army, 
fighting  desperately.  Ultimately  he  escapes  out  of  the  general  disaster, 
and  returns  to  England. 

A   KNIGHT   OF    THE   WHITE   CROSS 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Rhodes.  With  12  full -page  Illustra- 
tions by  Ralph  Peacock,  and  a  Plan.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

Gervaise  Tresham,  the  hero  of  this  story,  joins  the  Order  of  the 
Knights  of  St.  John,  and  proceeds  to  the  stronghold  of  Rhodes.  Sub- 
sequently he  is  appointed  commander  of  a  war-galley,  and  in  his  first 
voyage  destroys  a  fleet  of  Moorish  corsairs.  During  one  of  his  cruises 
the  young  knight  is  attacked  on  shore,  captured  after  a  desperate 
struggle,  and  sold  into  slavery  in  Tripoli.  He  succeeds  in  escaping,  and 
returns  to  Rhodes  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  defense  of  that  fortress. 

THE   TIGER   OF   MYSORE 

A  Story  of  the  War  with  Tippoo  Saib.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  H.  Mahgetson,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Dick  Holland,  whose  father  is  supposed  to  be  a  captive  of  Tippoo 
Saib,  goes  to  India  to  help  him  to  escape.  He  joins  the  army  under 
Lord  Cornwallis,  and  takes  part  in  the  campaign  againt  Tippoo. 
Afterwards  he  assumes  a  disguise,  enters  Seringapatam,  and  at  last 
he  discovers  his  father  in  the  great  stronghold  of  Savandroog.  The 
hazardous  rescue  is  at  length  accomplished,  and  the  young  fellow's 
dangerous  mission  is  done. 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKIES 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  Colorado.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Q.  C.  Hindley.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Tom  Wade,  goes  to  seek  his  uncle  In  Colorado,  who  is  a 
hunter  and  gold-digger,  and  he  is  discovered,  after  many  dangers,  out 
on  the  Plains  with  some  comrades.  Going  in  quest  of  a  gold  mine,  the 
little  band  is  spied  by  Indians,  chased  across  the  Bad  Lands,  and 
overwhelmed  by  a  snowstorm  iu  the  mountains. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG    TEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  the  best  story-tellers  for  young  people." 

— Spectator. 


WHEN   LONDON   BURNED 

A  Story  of  the  Plague  and  the  Fire.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  FiNNEMORE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  was  the  son  of  a  nobleman  who  had  lost  his 
estates  durftig  the  troublous  times  of  the  Commonwealth.  During  the 
Great  Plague  and  the  Great  Fire,  Cyril  was  prominent  among  those 
who  brought  help  to  the  panic-stricken  inhabitants. 

WULF  THE  SAXON 

A  Story  of  the  Norman  Conquest.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Ralph  Peacock.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  young  thane  who  wins  the  favor  of  Earl  Harold  and 
becomes  one  of  his  retinue.  When  Harold  becomes  King  of  England 
Wulf  assists  in  the  Welsh  wars,  and  takes  part  against  the  Norsemen 
at  the  Battle  of  Stamford  Bridge.  When  William  of  Normandy  in- 
vades England,  Wulf  is  with  the  English  host  at  Hastings,  and  6tands 
by  his  king  to  the  last  in  the  mighty  struggle. 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE      \/ 

A  Tale  of  the  Huguenot  Wars.  By  G.  A.  Hentt.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  J.  Drapek,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Philip  Fletcher,  has  a  French  connection  on  his  mother's 
side.  This  induces  him  to  cross  the  Channel  in  order  to  take  a  share 
in  the  Huguenot  wars.  Naturally  he  sides  with  the  Protestants,  dis- 
tinguishes himself  in  various  battles,  and  receives  rapid  promotion  for 
the  zeal  and  daring  with  which  he  carries  out  several  secret  missions. 

THROUGH  THE  SIKH  WAR 

A  Tale  of  the  Conquest  of  the  Punjaub.  By  G.  A.  Henty. 
With  12  fuil-p:ige  illustrations  by  Hal  Hurst,  and  a 
Map.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Percy  Groves,  a  spirited  English  lad,  joins  his  uncle  in  the  Punjaub, 
where  the  natives  are  in  a  state  of  revolt.  Percy  joins  the  British 
force  as  a  volunteer,  and  takes  a  distinguished  share  in  the  famous 
battles  of  the  Punjaub. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUZG    PEOPLE 


BY  Q. A.  HENTY 

"  The  brightest  of  the  living  writers  whose  office  it  is  to  enchant  the 
boys. — Christian  Leader. 


A  JACOBITE  EXILE 

Being  the  Adventures  of  a  Young  Englishman  in  the  Service 

of  Charles  XII.  of   Sweden.     By  G.  A.    Henty.  With  8 

full-page  Illustrations  by  Paul  Hardy,  and  a  Map.  Crown 

8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Sir  Marmaduke  Carstairs,  a  Jacobite,  is  the]victim  of  a  conspiracy,  and 
he  is  denounced  as  a  plotter  against  the  life  of  King  William.  He  flies 
to  Sweden,  accompanied  by  his  son  Charlie.  This  youth  joins  the 
foreign  legion  under  Charles  XII.,  and  takes  a  distinguished  part  in 
several  famous  campaigns  against  the  Russians  and  Poles. 

CONDEMNED  AS  A  NIHILIST 

A  Story  of  Escape  from  Siberia.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  an  English  boy  resident  in  St.  Petersburg. 
Through  two  student  friends  he  becomes  innocently  involved  in 
various  political  plots,  resulting  in  his  seizure  by  the  Russian  police 
and  his  exile  to  Siberia.  He  ultimately  escapes,  and,  after  many  ex- 
citing adventures,  he  reaches  Norway,  and  thence  home,  after  a 
perilous  journey  which  lasts  nearly  two  years. 

BERIC  THE  BRITON 

A  Story  of  the  Roman  Invasion.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  Parkinson.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  the  invasion  of  Britain  by  the  Roman  legionaries. 
Beric,  who  is  a  boy-chief  of  a  British  tribe,  takes  a  prominent  part  in 
the  insurrection  under  Boadicea ;  and  after  the  defeat  of  that  heroic 
queen  (in  A.  D.  62)  he  continues  the  struggle  in  the  fen-country. 
Ultimately  Beric  is  defeated  and  carried  captive  to  Rome,  where  he  is 
trained  in  the  exercise  of  arms  in  a  school  of  gladiators.  At  length  he 
returus  to  Britain,  where  he  becomes  ruler  of  his  own  people. 

IN  GREEK  WATERS 

A  Story  of  the  Grecian  War  of  Independence  (1821-1827).     By 

G.  A.  Henty.     With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S. 

Stacey,  and  a  Map.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Deals  with  the  revolt  of  the  Greeks  in  1821  against  Turkish  oppres- 
sion. Mr.  Beveridi^e  and  his  son  Horace  lit  out  a  privateer,  load  it 
with  military  stores,  and  6et  sail  for  Greece.  They  rescue  the  Chris- 
tians, relieve  the  captive  Greeks,  and  light  the  Turkish  war  vessels. 


BOOKS   FOR    TO  UNO    PEOPLE 


BY  G. A.  HENTY 

"  No  living  writer  of  books  for  boys  writes  to  better  purpose  than 
Mr.  G.  A.  Henty." — Philadelphia  Press. 


THE  DASH  FOR  KHARTOUM 

A  Tale  of  the  Nile  Expedition.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  John  Schonberg  and  J.  Nash. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  the  record  of  recent  British  history  there  is  no  more  captivating 
page  for  boys  than  the  story  of  the  Nile  campaign,  and  the  attempt  to 
rescue  General  Gordon.  For,  in  the  difficulties  which  the  expedition 
encountered,  in  the  perils  which  it  overpassed,  and  in  its  final  tragic 
disappointments,  are  found  all  the  excitements  of  romance,  as  well  as 
the  fascination  which  belongs  to  real  events. 

REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY 

A  Tale  of  the  Western  Plains.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  Alfred  Pearse.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  central  interest  of  this  story  is  found  in  the  many  adventures  of 
an  English  lad,  who  seeks  employment  as  a  cow-boy  on  a  cattle  ranch. 
His  experiences  during  a  "  round-up  "  present  in  picturesque  form  the 
toilsome,  exciting,  adventurous  life  of  a  cow-boy  ;  while  the  perils  of  a 
*rontier  settlement  are  vividly  set  forth  in  an  Indian  raid. 


HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Gibraltar.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  one  of  the  most  memorable  sieges  in  history — 
the  siege  of  Gibraltar  in  1779-83  by  the  united  forces  of  France  and 
Spain.  With  land  forces,  fleets,  and  floating  batteries,  the  combined 
resources  of  two  great  nations,  this  grim  fortress  was  vainly  besieged 
and  bombarded.  The  hero  of  the  tale,  an  English  lad  resident  in 
Gibraltar,  takes  a  brave  and  worthy  part  in  the  long  defence,  and  it  is 
through  his  varied  experiences  that  we  learn  with  what  bravery,  re- 
source, and  tenacity  the  Rock  was  held  for  England. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


A  List  of  Books  by- 
Kirk  Munroe 

A  SON  OF  SATSUMA 

Or,  with  Perry  in  Japan.     By  Kirk  Munroe.     With  12  illus- 
trations by  Harry  C.  Edwards.     $1.00  net. 

This  absorbing  story  for  boys  deals  with  one  of  the  most  interesting 
episodes  in  our  National  history.  From  the  beginning  Japan  has  been  a 
land  of  mystery.  Foreigners  were  permitted  to  land  only  at  certain 
points  on  her  shores,  and  nothing  whatever  was  known  of  her  civilization 
and  history,  her  romance  and  magnificence,  her  wealth  and  art.  It  was 
Commodore  Perry  who  opened  her  gates  to  the  world,  thus  solving  the 
mystery  of  the  ages,  and,  in  this  thrilling  story  of  an  American  boy  in 
Japan  at  that  period,  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  history  of  this  great 
achievement  is  ably  set  forth. 


IN   PIRATE  WATERS 

A  Tale  of  the  American  Xavy.     Illustrated  by  I.  W.  Taber. 
12rno,  81-25. 

The  hero  of  the  story  becomes  a  midshipman  in  the  navy  just  at  the 
time  of  the  war  with  Tripoli.  His  own  wild  adventures  among  the 
Turks  and  his  love  romance  are  thoroughly  interwoven  with  the  stirring 
historv  of  that  time. 


WITH   CROCKETT  AND   BOWIE 

Or,  Fighting  for  the  Lone  Star  Flag.  A  Tale  of  Texas.  By 
Kikic  Munroe.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Victor 
Pkuakd.     Crown  8vo.     $1.25. 

The  story  is  of  the  Texas  revolution  in  18-"5,  when  American  Texans 
under  Sam  Houston,  Howie,  Crockett,  and  Travis  fought  for  relief  from 
the  intolerable  tyranny  of  the  Mexican  Santa  Ana.  The  hero,  Rex 
Hardin,  son  of  a  Texan  ranchman  and  graduate  of  an  American  military 
school,  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  heroic  defense  of  the  Alamo,  and 
the  final  triumj>h  at  San  Jacinto. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 


By  KIRK  MUNROE 

THROUGH  SWAMP  AND  GLADE 

A  Tale  of  the  Seminole  War.  By  Kirk  Munroe.  With  8 
full -page  Illustration?  by  V.  Perard.     Crown  8vo,  .$1.25. 

Coacoochee,  the  hero  of  the  story,  is  the  son  of  Philip,  the  chieftain  of 
the  Seminoles.  He  grows  up  to  lead  his  tribe  in  the  long  struggle  which, 
resulted  in  the  Indians  being  driven  from  the  north  of  Florida  down  to 
the  distant  southern  wilderness. 

AT  WAR  WITH  PONTIAC 

Or,  the  Totem  of  the  Bear.  A  Tale  of  Bedcoat  and  Bedskin. 
By  Kirk  Munroe.  With  8  full-page  illustrations  by  J. 
Finnemore.     Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

A  story  when  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie  were  held  by  hostile  Indians. 
The  hero,  Donald  Hester,  goes  in  search  of  his  sister  Edith,  who  has 
been  captured  by  the  Indians.  Strange  and  terrible  are  his  experiences ; 
for  he  is  wounded,  taken  prisoner,  condemned  to  be  burned,  but  contrives 
to  escape.     In  the  end  all  things  terminate  happily. 

THE  WHITE   CONQUERORS 

A  Tale  of  Toltec  and  Aztec.     By  Kirk  Mtjnroe.    With  8  full- 

page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

This  story  deals  with  the  conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortez  and  his  Span- 
iards, the  "  White  Conquerors,"  who,  after  many  deeds  of  valor,  pushed 
their  way  into  the  great  Aztec  kingdom  and  established  their  power  in 
the  wondrous  city  where  Montezuma  reigned  in  splendor. 

MIDSHIPMAN    STUART 

Or,  the  Last  Cruise  of  the  Essex.  A  Tale  of  the  War  of 
1812.     Illustrated.     12mo,  $1.25. 

This  is  an  absorbing  story  of  life  in  the  American  Navy  during  the 
stirring  times  of  our  war  of  1S12.  The  very  spirit  of  the  period  is  in  ita 
pages,  and  many  of  the  adventures  of  the  Essex  are  studied  from  history. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE 


By  ERNEST  THOMPSON  SETON 

LIVES  OF  THE  HUNTED 

Being  a  true  account  of  the  doings  of  four  quadrupeds  and 
three  birds.  With  200  Illustrations.  §1.75  net.  (Post- 
age, 15  cents.  J 

'■Should  be  put  with  Kipling  and  Hans  Christian  Andersen  as  a 
classic." — The  Athenaeum  (London). 

WILD  ANIMALS  I  HAVE    KNOWN 
With  200  Illustrations.     $2.00. 

Mr.  Ernest  Thompson  Seton's  first  and  most  famous  book.  More  than 
100,000  have  been  sold  so  far. 

By  JAMES  WH1TCOMB  RILEY 

THE  BOOK  OF  JOYOUS  CHILDREN 

Profusely  Illustrated. 

The  sweetness,  the  grace,  the  laughter,  and  the  tenderness  of  Mr. 
Riley's  best  verse  are  found  to  the  full  in  this  book  of  delightful  poems 
for  and  about  chddren.  The  illustrations  have  been  made  under  the 
author's  supervision,  and  portray  the  scenes  and  the  little  heroes  and 
heroines  of  the  poems  with  artistic  fidelity. 

By  CYRUS  TOWNSEND  BRADY 

IN  THE  WASP'S  NET 

The  Story  of  a  Sea  Waif.  Illustrated.  $1.50  net.  (Postage, 
16  cents.) 

A  vigorous  story  of  the  war  of  1812.  The  hero,  a  midshipman,  serves 
gallantly  aboard  two  famous  American  ships,  each  bearing  the  name  of 
Wasp,  having  many  adventures  of  storm,  battle,  and  capture. 

By  THOMAS  NELSON  PACE 
A  CAPTURED  SANTA  CLAUS 

Illustrated  in  Colors. 

This  exquisite  story  of  childhood  is  one  of  the  most  delicate  that  even 
Mr.  Page  has  written.  It  is  an  episode  of  the  Oivil  War  in  which  chil- 
dren are  the  little  heroes.  The  period  is  the  Christmas  time,  and  tht> 
scene  is  between  the  lines  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies. 


BOOKS   FOR    TO  UNO    PEOPLE 


JEB  HUTTON,  A  GEORGIA  BOY 

By  James  B.  Connolly.  Illustrated.  $1.20  net.  (Postage, 
13  cents.) 

A  thoroughly  interesting  and  breezy  tale  of  boy-life  along  the 
Savannah  River  by  a  writer  who  kuows  boys,  and  who  has  succeeded 
in  making  of  the  adventures  of  Jeb  and  his  friends  a  story  that  will 
keep  his  young  readers  absorbed  to  the  last  page. 

KING  MOMBO 

By  Paul  Du  Chaillu.  Author  of  "The  "World  of  the  Great 
Forest,"  etc.  "With  24  illustrations.  $1.50  net.  (Postage, 
16  cents.) 

The  scene  is  the  great  African  forest.  It  is  a  book  of  interesting 
experiences  with  native  tribes,  and  thrilling  and  perilous  adventures  in 
hunting  elephants,  crocodiles,  gorillas  and  other  fierce  creatures 
among  which  this  famous  explorer  lived  60  long. 


A  NEW  BOOK  FOR  GIRLS 

By  Lin  a  Beard  and  Adelia  B.  Beard.    Authors  of  "  The 
American  Girl's  Handy    Book."    Profusely  Illustrated. 

An  admirable  collection  of  entirely  new  and  original  indoor  and  out- 
door pastimes  for  American  girls,  each  fully  and  interestingly  de- 
scribed and  explained,  and  all  designed  to  stimulate  the  taste  and 
ingenuity  at  the  same  time  that  they  Entertain. 

SEA   FIGHTERS    FROM    DRAKE   TO 
FARRAGUT 

By  Jessie  Peabody  Frothingham.    Illustrations  by  Reuter- 
dahl.     $1.20  net.     (Postage,  14  cents.) 

Drake,  Tromp,  De  Reuter,  Tourville,  Suffren,  Paul  Jones,  Nelson 
and  Farragut  are  the  naval  heroes  here  pictured,  and  each  is  shown  in 
some  great  episode  which  illustrates  his  personality  and  heroism.  The 
book  is  full  of  the  very  spirit  of  daring  and  adventurous  achievement. 

BOB  AND  HIS  GUN 

By  William  Alexander  Linn.     With  8  Illustrations. 

The  adventures  of  a  boy  with  a  gun  under  the  instruction  of  his 
cousin,  an  accomplished  sportsman.  The  book's  aim  is  to  interest 
boys  in  hunting  in  the  spirit  of  true  sport  and  to  instruct  in  the  ways 
of  game  birds  and  animals. 


This  book  is  due  at  the  WALTER  R.  DAVIS  LIBRARY  on 
the  last  date  stamped  under  "Date  Due."  If  not  on  hold  it 
may  be  renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  library. 

DATE 

DUE                              RET- 

DATE                            RET 
DUE 

MA\/    1   (\  *\t 

*'y '    - 

PCT  1 

5  2003 

StP   J  fa   U 

**—  ii      .       — 

****—  MAY. 

3  *    nn/fT 

' 

